INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN NONINDUSTRIAL OCCUPATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Indoor air in occupied buildings is always more polluted from human-sourced contaminants than the air outside the building. This is true for modern buildings constructed during the past decade as well as for primitive shelters erected centuries or millennia ago. It follows that a continuous source of outdoor air is required to prevent the degradation of indoor air from contaminants arising from people and their activities. This was realized historically by the inventors of roof vents for exhaust of fire smoke and by early designers of openable windows for introduction of make-up (outdoor) air. Major sources on indoor air pollutants are discussed, i.e., microbials, allergens, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, combustion products, tobacco smoke, radon, and particulates. Sampling of these pollutants and interpretation of data are included. Varied approaches to indoor air quality studies, ventilation, protocols and guidelines, and control are discussed. Keywords: Protocols; Guidelines; Building related symptoms; Building related illness; Indoor air pollutants; Sampling; Microbials; Allergens; Volatile organic compounds; Pesticides; Combustion products; Radon; Tobacco smoke; Particles; Economics; Ventilation; Checklists; Case studies; Control