‘Indoor Air Quality’ refers to the quality of air that we breathe in our homes, offices and in any indoor premises including cars. Indoor air pollution is the degradation of indoor air quality by harmful chemicals and other materials. It can be up to 5 times worse than outdoor air pollution. There are numerous indoor atmospheric pollutants and they could be significantly risky to public health, as people in modern societies spend about 90% of their time in indoor environment. Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or possibly years later.
Some health effects may show up shortly after a single exposure or repeated exposures to a pollutant. These include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person’s exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be identified. Soon after exposure to some indoor air pollutants, symptoms of some diseases such as asthma may show up. The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors including age and preexisting medical conditions.
Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable.
The ill-effects of indoor air pollution result in about 2 million premature deaths per year. Of the 4.3 million people who die every year because of household air pollution, 60% die because of cardiovascular diseases and 40% die because of pulmonary diseases. The most affected groups are women and younger children, as they spend maximum time at home. Preventive measures, such as identification of a source of chemical, physical or biological pollutants that may have deleterious health effects, and improvement of such harmful environmental conditions should be taken.