The quality of indoor air inside offices, schools, and other workplaces is important not only for workers' comfort but also for their health. Poor
has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Also, some specific diseases have been linked to specific air contaminants or indoor environments, like asthma with damp indoor environments. In addition, 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.
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, be aggravated or worsened.
The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors including age and preexisting medical conditions. In some cases, whether a person reacts to a pollutant depends on individual sensitivity, which varies tremendously from person to person. Some people can become sensitized to biological or chemical pollutants after repeated or high-level exposures.
Certain immediate effects are like those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the time and place symptoms occur. If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from the area, for example, an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes.
There are many sources of indoor air pollution. These can include:
Building materials and furnishings as diverse as:
Deteriorated asbestos-containing insulation
Newly installed flooring, upholstery or carpet
Cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products.
Products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies
Central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices
Outdoor sources such as:
The relative importance of any single source depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are. Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings and products like air fresheners, can release pollutants continuously. Other sources, related to activities like smoking, cleaning, redecorating or doing hobbies release pollutants intermittently.
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