INDOOR AIR POLLUTION

DEFINITION:
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a term referring to the air quality within and around
buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of
building occupants.

Indoor air quality also can be defined as the totality of attributes of indoor air
that affect a person�s health and well being.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC - Australia) defines indoor
air as air within a building occupied for at least one hour by people of varying
states of health.

ISSUES:
The common issues associated with IAQ include:
?Improper or inadequately maintained heating and ventilation systems.
?Contamination by construction materials, glues, fibreglass, particle boards,
paints, chemicals, etc.
?Increase in number of building occupants and time spent indoors.
EXAMPLE:
Sources

i.Combustion activity
- Kerosene heaters -> Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxides (NOX)
- Wood stoves/unvented gas stoves -> Carbon dioxide (CO2), Sulphur oxide (SOX)

ii.HVAC System (heating, ventilation and air cond)

- molds & fungi
- bacteria
- protozoa

iii.Chemical
- Carpeting & Drapery -> Aldehydes (Formaldehyde)
- Floor & wall coverings -> Aliphatics (cyclohexane)

iv.Building materials
- Radon/Radon progeny (daughters)
- Fiberglass

v.Smoking activity
- Asbestos (amosite, chrysotile, crocidolite)
- tobacco smoking will stay in the air to be inhaled long

vi.Outdoor air pollution

- Inorganic dusts (mineral)
- Metallic dusts

REFERENCES
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health. (2019, November 7). Indoor Air Quality
(IAQ) - General. Retrieved from
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/iaq_intro.html.

SmFootprintFamSmallFootprintFamilysmallfootprintfamily, D. G., Gifford, D.,

GiffordDawn, D., Marge, C, R., Gifford, D., � Danielle. (2018, August 12). 8 Hidden
Sources of Indoor Air Pollution in Your Home. Retrieved from
https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/sources-of-indoor-air-pollution.