Indoor Exposure to Selected Air Pollutants in the Home Environment: A Systematic Review

Background: There is increasing awareness that the quality of the indoor environment affects our health and well-being. Indoor air quality (IAQ) in particular has an impact on multiple health outcomes, including respiratory and cardiovascular illness, allergic symptoms, cancers, and premature mortality. (2) Methods: We carried out a global systematic literature review on indoor exposure to selected air pollutants associated with adverse health effects, and related household characteristics, seasonal influences and occupancy patterns. We screened records from six bibliographic databases: ABI/INFORM, Environment Abstracts, Pollution Abstracts, PubMed, ProQuest Biological and Health Professional, and Scopus. (3) Results: Information on indoor exposure levels and determinants, emission sources, and associated health effects was extracted from 141 studies from 29 countries. The most-studied pollutants were particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10); nitrogen dioxide (NO2); volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene, toluene, xylenes and formaldehyde; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including naphthalene. Identified indoor PM2.5 sources include smoking, cooking, heating, use of incense, candles, and insecticides, while cleaning, housework, presence of pets and movement of people were the main sources of coarse particles. Outdoor air is a major PM2.5 source in rooms with natural ventilation in roadside households. Major sources of NO2 indoors are unvented gas heaters and cookers. Predictors of indoor NO2 are ventilation, season, and outdoor NO2 levels. VOCs are emitted from a wide range of indoor and outdoor sources, including smoking, solvent use, renovations, and household products. Formaldehyde levels are higher in newer houses and in the presence of new furniture, while PAH levels are higher in smoking households. High indoor particulate matter, NO2 and VOC levels were typically associated with respiratory symptoms, particularly asthma symptoms in children. (4) Conclusions: Household characteristics and occupant activities play a large role in indoor exposure, particularly cigarette smoking for PM2.5, gas appliances for NO2, and household products for VOCs and PAHs. Home location near high-traffic-density roads, redecoration, and small house size contribute to high indoor air pollution. In most studies, air exchange rates are negatively associated with indoor air pollution. These findings can inform interventions aiming to improve IAQ in residential properties in a variety of settings.

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Indoor Exposure to Selected Air Pollutants in the Home Environment: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17238972 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (23) ◽

pp. 8972

Author(s):

Sotiris Vardoulakis ◽

Evanthia Giagloglou ◽

Susanne Steinle ◽

Alice Davis ◽

Anne Sleeuwenhoek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Health Effects ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Indoor Exposure ◽

Household Characteristics ◽

Household Products ◽

Wide Range

(1) Background: There is increasing awareness that the quality of the indoor environment affects our health and well-being. Indoor air quality (IAQ) in particular has an impact on multiple health outcomes, including respiratory and cardiovascular illness, allergic symptoms, cancers, and premature mortality. (2) Methods: We carried out a global systematic literature review on indoor exposure to selected air pollutants associated with adverse health effects, and related household characteristics, seasonal influences and occupancy patterns. We screened records from six bibliographic databases: ABI/INFORM, Environment Abstracts, Pollution Abstracts, PubMed, ProQuest Biological and Health Professional, and Scopus. (3) Results: Information on indoor exposure levels and determinants, emission sources, and associated health effects was extracted from 141 studies from 29 countries. The most-studied pollutants were particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10); nitrogen dioxide (NO2); volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene, toluene, xylenes and formaldehyde; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including naphthalene. Identified indoor PM2.5 sources include smoking, cooking, heating, use of incense, candles, and insecticides, while cleaning, housework, presence of pets and movement of people were the main sources of coarse particles. Outdoor air is a major PM2.5 source in rooms with natural ventilation in roadside households. Major sources of NO2 indoors are unvented gas heaters and cookers. Predictors of indoor NO2 are ventilation, season, and outdoor NO2 levels. VOCs are emitted from a wide range of indoor and outdoor sources, including smoking, solvent use, renovations, and household products. Formaldehyde levels are higher in newer houses and in the presence of new furniture, while PAH levels are higher in smoking households. High indoor particulate matter, NO2 and VOC levels were typically associated with respiratory symptoms, particularly asthma symptoms in children. (4) Conclusions: Household characteristics and occupant activities play a large role in indoor exposure, particularly cigarette smoking for PM2.5, gas appliances for NO2, and household products for VOCs and PAHs. Home location near high-traffic-density roads, redecoration, and small house size contribute to high indoor air pollution. In most studies, air exchange rates are negatively associated with indoor air pollution. These findings can inform interventions aiming to improve IAQ in residential properties in a variety of settings.

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Indoor Exposure to Selected Air Pollutants in the Home Environment: A Systematic Review

10.26686/wgtn.13675945.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sotiris Vardoulakis ◽

Evanthia Giagloglou ◽

Susanne Steinle ◽

Alice Davis ◽

Anne Sleeuwenhoek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Health Effects ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Indoor Exposure ◽

Household Characteristics ◽

Household Products ◽

Wide Range

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How low-cost air pollution sensors could make homes smarter?

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-9113 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hamid Omidvarborna ◽

Prashant Kumar

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Low Cost ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

<p>The majority of people spend most of their time indoors, where they are exposed to indoor air pollutants. Indoor air pollution is ranked among the top ten largest global burden of a disease risk factor as well as the top five environmental public health risks, which could result in mortality and morbidity worldwide. The spent time in indoor environments has been recently elevated due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak when the public are advised to stay in their place for longer hours per day to protect lives. This opens an opportunity to low-cost air pollution sensors in the real-time Spatio-temporal mapping of IAQ and monitors their concentration/exposure levels indoors. However, the optimum selection of low-cost sensors (LCSs) for certain indoor application is challenging due to diversity in the air pollution sensing device technologies. Making affordable sensing units composed of individual sensors capable of measuring indoor environmental parameters and pollutant concentration for indoor applications requires a diverse scientific and engineering knowledge, which is not yet established. The study aims to gather all these methodologies and technologies in one place, where it allows transforming typical homes into smart homes by specifically focusing on IAQ. This approach addresses the following questions: 1) which and what sensors are suitable for indoor networked application by considering their specifications and limitation, 2) where to deploy sensors to better capture Spatio-temporal mapping of indoor air pollutants, while the operation is optimum, 3) how to treat the collected data from the sensor network and make them ready for the subsequent analysis and 4) how to feed data to prediction models, and which models are best suited for indoors.</p>

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Health Effects due to Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x03037109 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 427-433 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

John A Hoskins

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Health Effects ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Indoor Air Pollution

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Associations Between Sub-Clinical Markers of Cardiometabolic Risk and Exposure to Residential Indoor Air Pollutants in Healthy Adults in Perth, Western Australia: A Study Protocol

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16193548 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (19) ◽

pp. 3548

Author(s):

Suzanne E. Gilbey ◽

Christopher M. Reid ◽

Rachel R. Huxley ◽

Mario J. Soares ◽

Yun Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Western Australia ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Cardiometabolic Risk ◽

Pulse Wave ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Clinical Markers ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

Background: A growing body of epidemiological and clinical evidence has implicated air pollution as an emerging risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. Whilst individuals spend up to two-thirds of daily time in their domestic residential environment, very few studies have been designed to objectively measure the sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk with exposure to domestic indoor air pollutants. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate associations between the components of domestic indoor air quality and selected sub-clinical cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of healthy adults living in Perth, Western Australia. Methods: One hundred and eleven non-smoking adults (65% female) living in non-smoking households who were aged between 35–69 years were recruited for the project. Study subjects were invited to participate in all sections of the study, which included: Domestic indoor air monitoring along with the concurrent 24 h ambulatory monitoring of peripheral and central blood pressure and measures of central hemodynamic indices, standardized questionnaires on aspects relating to current health status and the domestic environment, a 24 h time-activity diary during the monitoring period, and clinic-based health assessment involving collection of blood and urine biomarkers for lipid and glucose profiles, as well as measures of renal function and an analysis of central pulse wave and pulse wave velocity. Results: This study provides a standardized approach to the study of sub-clinical cardiometabolic health effects that are related to the exposure to indoor air pollution. Conclusion: The findings of this study may provide direction for future research that will further contribute to our understanding of the relationship that exists between indoor air pollution and sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk.

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Indoor air pollution and tobacco smoke exposure: impact on nasopharyngeal bacterial carriage in mothers and infants in an African birth cohort study

ERJ Open Research ◽

10.1183/23120541.00052-2018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 00052-2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Aneesa Vanker ◽

Polite M. Nduru ◽

Whitney Barnett ◽

Felix S. Dube ◽

Peter D. Sly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Tobacco Smoke ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Tobacco Smoke Exposure ◽

Nasopharyngeal Carriage ◽

The Impact

Indoor air pollution (IAP) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may influence nasopharyngeal carriage of bacterial species and development of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the impact of antenatal or postnatal IAP/ETS exposure on nasopharyngeal bacteria in mothers and infants.A South African cohort study followed mother–infant pairs from birth through the first year. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken at birth, 6 and 12 months for bacterial culture. Multivariable and multivariate Poisson regression investigated associations between nasopharyngeal bacterial species and IAP/ETS. IAP exposures (particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds) were measured at home visits. ETS exposure was measured through maternal and infant urine cotinine. Infants received the 13-valent pneumococcal andHaemophilus influenzaeB conjugate vaccines.There were 881 maternal and 2605 infant nasopharyngeal swabs. Antenatal ETS exposure was associated withStreptococcus pneumoniaecarriage in mothers (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 1.73 (95% CI 1.03–2.92)) while postnatal ETS exposure was associated with carriage in infants (aRR 1.14 (95% CI 1.00–1.30)) Postnatal particulate matter exposure was associated with the nasopharyngeal carriage ofH. influenzae(aRR 1.68 (95% CI 1.10– 2.57)) orMoraxella catarrhalis(aRR 1.42 (95% CI 1.03–1.97)) in infants.Early-life environmental exposures are associated with an increased prevalence of specific nasopharyngeal bacteria during infancy, which may predispose to LRTI.

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Indoor Environment Quality in Modern Life

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.664.207 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 664 ◽

pp. 207-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ying Han ◽

Li Fen Yi

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Indoor Environment ◽

Building Materials ◽

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Living Environment ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Adverse Health Effects ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

There is a great improvement in modern people’s working and living environment. As the new building materials and technology appear, it brings some problems to indoor environment. more and more people pay attention to their living conditions especially the quality of indoor environment. Every year ,there are 110,000 people who die from indoor air pollution every year in China, hence indoor air pollution is affecting human health. In this paper, through analysis of the sources, adverse health effects of several common indoor air pollutants, air pollutants are major contributing factors to chronic diseases and mortality. It should be treated urgently with the people’s standard of living improvement.

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