What is Indoor Air Pollution?
Research indicates that people spend approximately 80 ~ 90 percent of their time indoors, where they are exposed to polluted indoor air that may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and even lung cancer or other malignancies. Recent study reveals that bacteria, molds and house dust mites bred inside carpets and air conditioners can be airborne by dust particles, paints, varnishes, harmful chemical fibers and pressed wood products, which are most commonly used in household decoration, may emit formaldehyde, benzene and other hazardous and carcinogenic organic chemicals — all these as well as unwholesome matters produced in the metabolism of human bodies and ammonia inside toilets have made the air within homes and other buildings more seriously polluted than the outdoor air.
Scientific evidence indicates the air within homes and other buildings can be two to five times more polluted than the outdoor air, and in some cases 1,000 times more polluted. Today people are spending nearly 90% of their time indoors, a great increase as opposed to twenty years ago. Thus, the “dose” (i.e. the concentration of pollutants multiplied by the time in that environment) is typically greater than outdoors. This results in a greater health risk due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.
Indoor air pollution consists of toxic gases or particles that can harm your health. These pollutants can build up rapidly indoors to levels much higher than those usually found outdoors. This is especially true if large amounts of a pollutant are released indoors. Moreover, “tighter” construction in newer homes can prevent pollutants from escaping to the outdoors.
Research indicates that people spend approximately 80 ~ 90 percent of their time indoors, where they are exposed to polluted indoor air that may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and even lung cancer or other malignancies. Recent study reveals that bacteria, molds and house dust mites bred inside carpets and air conditioners can be airborne by dust particles, paints, varnishes, harmful chemical fibers and pressed wood products, which are most commonly used in household decoration, may emit formaldehyde, benzene and other hazardous and carcinogenic organic chemicals — all these as well as unwholesome matters produced in the metabolism of human bodies and ammonia inside toilets have made the air within homes and other buildings more seriously polluted than the outdoor air. People may experience one or more of the following reactions when exposed to indoor air pollution: Allergic Reactions Some common signs and symptoms are: Watery eyes Runny
Indoor air pollution is a major public health problem that threatens virtually all workers in New York State’s school buildings; from teachers and custodians to nurses and office staff. Contaminated indoor air occurs when toxic substances combine with inadequate building ventilation causing health problems such as eye irritation, nose and throat irritation, sinus discomfort, headaches, sneezing and coughing, respiratory infections, and fatigue. Because of varying sensitivity among people, one individual may react to a particular indoor air quality (IAQ) problem while surrounding occupants do not display ill effects. In other cases, complaints may be widespread. In addition to different degrees of reaction, an indoor air pollutant or problem can trigger different types of reactions in different people. Groups that may be particularly susceptible to effects of indoor air contaminants include, but are not limited to: • allergic or asthmatic individuals, or people with sensitivity to chemi
