What is Indoor Air Pollution and Its Effects

WHAT IS INDOOR AIR POLLUTION AND ITS EFFECTS

We all face a variety of risks in our lives as we go about our daily activities. Driving a car, flying a plane, engaging in recreational activities, and exposure to pollutants all bring different levels of danger. Other dangers are inevitable. Some of us choose to accept it because doing so can rob us of the ability to live our lives the way we want. There are some dangers that we could avoid if we had the opportunity to make wise decisions. Indoor air pollution is one of the dangers we can do something about. Studies show that indoor air in homes and other buildings may be more polluted than outdoor air, even in big cities and industries. Some studies show that people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, hence for many people, the health risks can be greater because of exposure to air pollution in the home than outside. In addition, people who may be exposed to indoor air pollution for a long time are often the ones most affected by the effects of indoor air pollution. Such groups include the young, the elderly, and the seriously ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease. So many people spend a lot of time in offices that have air conditioning, cooling, and ventilation, which is causing a drop in air quality in the offices.

Sources of Domestic Pollution Indoor air pollution in any home include, and tobacco products, building materials and various materials such as rot, asbestos plants, wet or damp carpet, and cabinets or furniture made of pressed wood products for cleaning and home care products, combustible sources such as, oil, gas, paraffin, coal, wood; central heating and cooling systems and lubricants, and external sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution. Other sources, such as building materials, furniture, and household products such as air conditioners, emit continuous pollution. Other sources, related to household chores, release dirt from time to time. These include smoking, the use of stoves or air-conditioning stoves, the oven, or air conditioning equipment, the use of solvents for cleaning and recreation, the use of paint removers for recycling, the use of cleaning products and pesticides in the home. High concentrations of pollution can remain in the air for a long time after some of these activities.

Sources of Office Air Pollution: Common office pollutants and their sources include natural tobacco smoke; asbestos from heat-resistant materials; formaldehyde from pressed wood products; other living materials from building materials, carpets, and other office equipment, cleaning supplies and workspaces, toilet cleaners, paint, adhesives, photo copy and print shops, biological pollutants from dirty ventilation systems or water-damaged walls, ceilings, such as carpets and pesticides from pest control methods. Apartments can have the same indoor air problems as single-family homes because many sources of pollution, such as interior building materials, furniture, and household products, are the same. Indoor air problems such as those in offices are caused by resources such as dirty ventilation systems, improper outdoor ventilation, or maintenance facilities.

Effects of Internal Pollution: Immediate results may appear after a single exposure or repeated exposure, include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, dizziness, fatigue and headaches. Such immediate effects are usually temporary and treatable. Sometimes treatment simply eliminates a person's exposure to a source of contamination, if possible. Symptoms of other illnesses, including asthma, asthma, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and humidity, may also appear immediately after exposure to other indoor air pollutants. A UNDP report shows that air pollution kills about 3.0 million people in a year and 6% of all deaths annually. Around 9 out of 10 people die due to air pollution occur in developing countries, where about 80 percent of the total population of about 2.5 billion people, almost all of them in developing countries, suffer from high levels of indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution is caused by wood burning, animal manure, crop residues, and coal for cooking and heating. The majority of victims of domestic violence are women and girls, who have the primary responsibility for cooking and maintaining their homes.

Estimates of Deaths Due to Air Pollution, by Region, 1996 Deaths by Breath

Region or Country	Deaths from Indoor Pollution	Deaths from Outdoor Pollution	Total
Asia
China	373,000	70,000	443,000
India	589,000	84,000	673,000
Other Asian countries	403,000	40,000	443,000
Latin America & Caribbean	293,000	113,000	406,000
Sub-Saharan Africa	522,000	—	—
Arab states	—	57,000	—
Industrialized countries	32,000	147,000	179,000
Grand total	2,212,000	511,000	2,723,000

— Estimate not available

Source: United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 1998

IMPORTANT INDOORS AIR POLLUTANTS, THEIR SOURCES AND EFFECT

Pollutant	Source	Effects
Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)	Burning of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and smoke exhaled by the smoker	It is a mixture of more than 4,000 compounds, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer, many of them are highly irritating. In 1992, a US EPA report concluded that exposure to ETS causes about 3,000 deaths each year in nonsmokers and affects the respiratory health of hundreds of thousands of children. Infants and young children with parents who smoke where they are at greater risk of developing respiratory infections (pneumonia and bronchitis) and are more likely to develop respiratory irritants such as coughing, excessive phlegm, and shortness of breath.
Carbon monoxides	Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, wood stoves, fireplaces, and gas stoves.	Too much focus can cause fainting and death. Low concentration can cause a variety of symptoms ranging from headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion, confusion, fatigue in healthy people and episodes of increased chest pain in people with chronic heart disease
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)	Burning of kerosene burners, unprocessed gas stoves and heaters, tobacco smokes.	It aggravates the mucous membranes of the eye, nose, and throat and causes shortness of breath after exposure to high concentration. People at high risk for nitrogen dioxide exposure include children and people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses
Breathing Particles,	Furnace, wood stoves, and paraffin heaters, tobacco smokes.	A host of pollutants, including radon which can cause cancer, attach themselves to tiny respiratory cells and transport to the lungs particles also cause irritation of eyes, nose and throat; respiratory diseases and bronchitis; lung cancer.
Formaldehyde	urea-formaldehyde foam insulation and Particleboard or pressed wood, used in manufacturing furniture, Grocery bags, waxed paper, floor covering, other sources are healing and cooking fuels, like natural gas kerosene and cigarette smoke.	Installation of formaldehyde urea-formaldehyde foam and Particleboard or compressed wood, used in making furniture, grocery bags, wax paper, floor cover, other sources of cooling and cooking power, such as natural gas paraffin, tobacco smoke Formaldehyde, colorless gas, fragrant, can cause swelling of the eyes, burning sensation in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty breathing in other people exposed to high levels (more than 0.1 per million),
Lead	Contaminated soil, dust, and drinking water, lead-based paints.	Lead levels at or above 80 micrograms per deciliter of blood may cause coma, convulsions, and even death. Lead concentration at a lower level can cause negative health effects on the central nervous system, kidneys, and blood cells. Actually Lead affects all systems within the body, Blood lead can harm mental and physical development even at the low level of 10 micrograms per deciliter.
Radon (Rn)	Uranium in the soil or rock on which homes are built. As uranium naturally breaks down, and it releases radon gas, Radon gas enters homes through dirt floors, cracks in concrete walls and floors, floor drains and sumps.	Lung Cancer, US EPA estimates that radon causes about 14,000 deaths per year in the United States however, this number could range from 7,000 to 30,000 deaths per year. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, lung cancer risk is increased.
Benzene	Environmental tobacco smoke, stored fuels and paints supplies, and automobile emissions in attached garages.	Benzene causes cancer in human
Asbestos.	Asbestos is most commonly found in older homes, in pipe and furnace insulation materials, asbestos shingles, millboard, coating materials, and floor tiles. Commonly in a variety of building construction materials used for insulation and as a fire-retardant	Asbestos fibers are too small to be visible and most dangerous when they are inhaled, they accumulate and can remain in the lungs. Asbestos produce cancer in lungs, abdominal linings and chest. Symptoms of these diseases do not show up until many years after exposure began. Most people with asbestos-related diseases were exposed to elevated concentrations on the job, some developed disease from exposure to clothing and equipment brought home from job sites.
Biological	Wet or moist walls, ceilings, carpets, and furniture; poorly maintained humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners; bedding; household pets.	Eye, nose, and throat irritation; shortness of breath; dizziness; lethargy; fever; digestive problems. Can cause asthma; humidifier fever; influenza and other infectious diseases
Pesticides	Products used to kill household pests (insecticides, and disinfectants). Also, products used on lawns and gardens that drift or are tracked inside the house.	Irritation to throat, eye, nose; damage to kidney and central nervous system; increased risk of cancer.
Ozone (O3)	Ground-level ozone comes from the breakdown (oxidation) of volatile organic compounds found in solvents. Burning coal, gasoline, and other fuels produces that, and chemicals found in paints and hair sprays. Oxidation occurs readily during hot weather. Vehicles and industries are major sources of ground-level ozone.	Ozone in the upper atmosphere, where it occurs naturally in what is known as the ozone layer, shields the Earth from the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays. However, Ozone at ground level is a pollutant with high toxic effects Ground-level ozone can irritate the respiratory tract, cause chest pain, persistent cough, an inability to take a deep breath, and an increased susceptibility to lung infection. Ozone can damage trees and plants and reduce visibility. It damages human health, the environment, crops, and a wide range of natural and artificial materials.

References:

1. Internet

2. UNDP repots for air Pollution

3. Environmental Engineering, 1985 by Howard S. P e a v y. Donald R. Rowe and George Tchobanoglous

4. M N, R A O and H V N R A 1992 AIR Pollution