Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the presence or absence of air pollutants in buildings.
There are many sources of indoor air pollutants. Indications of potential health effects due to poor indoor air quality include:
- the presence of sources of indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke and radon, or
- conditions that promote poor indoor air quality, such as inadequate ventilation or moisture intrusion, that can lead to mold growth.
The quality of air inside offices, schools, and other workplaces is important not only for workers' comfort but also for their health. Poor IAQ has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
Specific diseases have been linked to specific air contaminants or indoor environments, like asthma with damp indoor environments. Some exposures, such as asbestos and radon, do not cause immediate symptoms but can lead to cancer after many years.
Many factors affect IAQ. These factors include:
- poor ventilation (lack of outside air),
- problems controlling temperature,
- high or low humidity,
- recent remodeling, and
- other activities in or near a building that can affect the fresh air coming into the building.
Sometimes, specific contaminants like dust from construction or renovation, mold, cleaning supplies, pesticides, or other airborne chemicals (including small amounts of chemicals released as a gas over time) may cause poor IAQ.
The right ventilation and building care can prevent and fix IAQ problems.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-6. Which of the following air contaminants can lead to cancer after many years of exposure?
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