This article is a transcript of the introduction to the study: Overview of Indoor Air Pollution: A Human Health Perspective.
In the contemporary world, we spend more than 80% of our daily life indoors rather than outdoors. As a result of improved living standards in indoor environments such as homes, offices and businesses, there has been an increase in decorations, renovation activities, remodeling and the appearance of new furniture, all of which are sources of toxic gas emissions.
What are the indoor air pollutants?
Indoor air pollutants include carbon monoxide and dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (formaldehyde, benzene, ethylene, etc.) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (biphenyl, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[ghi]perylene, benzo[c]fluorine, etc.).
What are the health effects of these pollutants?
Inhalation of these pollutants is likely to cause death and morbidity; diseases attributed to respiratory, cardiovascular and lung diseases and lung cancer in humans.
How many deaths in the world are attributable to indoor pollution?
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 3.8 million people die prematurely each year from diseases caused by indoor pollution.
What diseases are caused by poor Indoor Air Quality ?
- Pneumonia (27%)
- ischemic heart disease (27%)
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (20%)
- Stroke (18%)
- lung cancer (8%).
