1. Indoor pollution and health effects
Air pollution part 3
Indoor pollution and health effects

2. Indoor air pollution
Air pollutants can be times more concentrated inside buildings than outside.
Top four most dangerous:
Tobacco smoke
Formaldehyde (in building materials, treated furniture and upholstery)
Radioactive radon-222 gas (seeps from underground)
Very small fine and ultrafine particles (circulate in air)
World Health Organization:
Connection between poverty and environmental quality
Many people in developing countries burn wood, charcoal, dung, and coal indoors for heating and cooking
Poor ventilation and access to healthcare
Formaldehyde: furniture stuffing, paneling, particleboard, and foam insulation. Effects: irritates eyes, throat, skin and lungs; nausea, dizziness.

3. Health effects Figure 19-16
Sick building syndrome: high VOCs, asbestos, particulates. Symptoms= headaches, nausea, throat/eye irritations, chronic fatigue. Causes: inadequate/faulty ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor and outdoor sources, biological contamination.
© WHO
Figure 19-16
Each year, air pollution prematurely kills about 3 million people, mostly from indoor air pollution in developing countries.
In the U.S., the EPA estimates that annual deaths related to indoor and outdoor air pollution range from 150,000 to 350,000.
According to the EPA, each year more than 125,000 Americans get cancer from breathing diesel fumes.

4. Indoor air pollutants and their sources
Para-dichlorobenzene
Chloroform
Tetrachloroethylene
Formaldehyde
1, 1, 1-
Trichloroethane
Styrene
Nitrogen Oxides
Benzo-a-pyrene
Asbestos: pipe insulation, vinyl floor and ceiling tiles. Threat= lung disease and lung cancer.
CO: leaky furnaces, stoves, heaters, woodstoves. Threat: gradual suffocation (binds with hemoglobin)
Formaldehyde: furniture stuffing, paneling, particleboard, and foam insulation. Effects: irritates eyes, throat, skin and lungs; nausea, dizziness.
Particulates
Tobacco Smoke
Radon-222
Asbestos
Carbon Monoxide
Methylene Chloride
Fig , p. 453

5. Radioactive Radon
Radon-222, a radioactive gas found in some soils and rocks
Can seep into some houses and increase the risk of lung cancer.
Figure 19-13
Sources and paths of entry for indoor radon-222 gas.

6. Living "pollution": dust mites, mold spores, and mildew
Household dust mites that feed on human skin and dust, live in materials such as bedding and furniture fabrics.
Can cause asthma attacks and allergic reactions in some people.
Molds and mildews are sources of chronic allergies
Can cause headaches and aggravate asthma and other respiratory diseases
Figure 19-12