Indoor Air Pollution

 Environmental Tobacco smoke (2 nd hand)  Legionella pneumophila  Molds and fungus  Radon gas  Pesticides  Asbestos  Formaldehyde  Dust mites  pollen

 Secondhand smoke  2 sources  Smoke exhaled by smokers  Smoke emitted from burning tobacco  The most hazardous indoor pollutant

 Greater than 40,000 deaths each yr (heart disease & cancer)  Contains several thousand chemicals  NO, CO, hydrogen cyanide, 40 carcinogenic chems.  Separate smokers from non-smokers, ban smoking, improve ventilation, education & social pressure

 Causes Legionnaires’ disease  Lives in pond water  20 species  Spread through air conditioning/heating ducts  Transported as a bacerial aerosol  Hospitals, cruise ships

 Release toxic spores causing chronic lung inflammation and scarring  Usually undiagnosed  Molds & fungus reside between walls, where water is trapped.

 Colorless, odorless & tasteless  Radioactive gas from soil and rock  Seeps into buildings through cracks in foundation.  Basements are a risk  Seal & caulk cracks, build homes with a plastic layer or gravel layer beneath foundation.  Leaches into water supply and is aerated inside homes when faucets are turned on.

 Radon  Naturally occurring radioactive gas  Colorless, odorless, tasteless  Only identified through proper testing  Health hazard when leaked into homes  Exposure is associated with lung cancer

 Applied inside of bldgs to control insects and rodents.  Possible carcinogens  Aerated when sprayed

 Fireproofing, insulation, vinyl flooring, brake linings  Skin irritation, lung cancer (asbestosis)  Removed through encapsulation  Problem for workers & nearby residents when old bldgs are being demolished or renovated

 Plywood, particle board, construction material, carpeting  Glue/binder in the materials  Headaches,respiratory irritation, eye irritation  Increase ventilation, use formaldehyde free

 A condition associated with an indoor environment that appears to be unhealthy  The symptoms people report cannot be traced to any one particular cause

 Chimney Effect (Stack Effect)  Process whereby warmer air rises in buildings to upper levels and is replaced in the lower portion of the building by outdoor air drawn through a variety of openings, such as windows doors or cracks in the foundation or walls