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.
The world focus has shifted from the environment to ‘Invironment’. This is a new terminology, being used
increasingly to focus on the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and its effect on human health. While the outdoor
environment continues to be of concern, the indoor environment is receiving increased attention as more
information has become available on the presence and effect of indoor contaminants.
Indoor air pollutants are increasingly being associated with respiratory illness in humans.
Concerus about potential public health problems due to indoor air pollutants are based on evidence that urban residents
typically speed more than 90 percent of their time indoors, concentrations of some contaminants are higher indoors that outdoors,
and for some pollutants personal exposures are not characterized adequately by outdoor measurements.
 |
The main indoor air pollutants which are highly responsible for respiratory morbidity and mortality are such as
 |
Particulate Matter |
|
|
Sulphur Dioxide |
|
|
Nitrogen Dioxide |
|
|
Carbon Monoxide |
|
|
Benzene |
|
|
Ammonia |
|
|
Chloroform |
|
|
Formaldehyde |
|
|
Benzopyrene |
|
|
Hydrocarbons |
|
|
Asbestos Fibers |
|
|
Bio Pollutants |
Sources of these pollutants are such as
 |
Combusion By-Products |
|
|
Environmental Tobacco Smoke |
|
|
Carpets |
|
|
Paints |
|
|
Building Construction Materials |
|
|
Transportation |
|
|
Incinerators |
|
|
Industrial Exhaust |
|
|
Manufacturing Process |
These indoorair pollutants can lead to serious public health problems like
|
|
Asthma |
|
|
Chronic Bronchitis |
|
|
Irritation of Lungs |
|
|
Pneumonia |
|
|
Decreased Resistance to Respiratory |
|
|
Infection |
|
|
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) |
|
|
Chronic Cough |
|
|
Phlegm Production |
|
|
Allergy |
|
|
Headache |
|
|
Fatigue |
|
|
Lung Cancer |
|
|
Premature Death |
High particle concentration was associated with substantial short term increase in
|
|
Morbidity |
|
|
Mortality |
Determination of IAQ involves the collection of air samples, monitoring human exposure to pollutants, collection of samples on building surfaces and computer modelling of air flow inside buildings.
