Introduction
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the quality of air present within and around buildings and structures, particularly in terms of the health and comfort of building residents. Understanding and controlling the frequent pollutants present indoors can assist in decreasing the risk of indoor health issues. The effects of indoor air pollutants on respiratory health might be observed soon after exposure or years later.
What Is Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air quality is the quality of air present in indoor places like offices, classrooms, or laboratory environments, in contrast to the industrial or outdoor environment. These areas have either natural ventilation from openable windows or mechanical ventilation from heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) methods. Frequently, air quality complaints are mechanical ventilation failures, inadequate outdoor air supply, odors from indoor or outdoor sources, and mold.
Industrial environments, laboratories, and classrooms are also sources of air contaminants. These can be chemical, particulate, aerosol, or fumes. Localized exhaust hoods must control these contaminants, such as fume hoods, or might be controlled by increased general dilution ventilation.
What Are the Indoor Air Pollution Sources?
Indoor air pollutants are the sources responsible for polluting the air present in the inside environment. Some of these contaminants are:
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Asbestos: Its presence can be observed in rocks and dirt. It has been used in various products such as insulation, construction materials, roofing shingles, fire retardants, and more, as it has good strength and is heat resistant. It is present in friction products for its use in automobiles. Asbestos exposure has the potential to cause an increased risk of lung problems, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
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Biological Pollutants: Contaminants formed by living creatures are termed biological pollutants. Due to this, they are frequently present in regions where there is a huge amount of food or wetness. Bacteria, pet saliva, viruses, dust, pollen, and mites are some of the frequently occurring examples of biological pollution. Excessive moisture is present in humidifiers or an unventilated bathroom and is a breeding environment for mold, mildew, and bacteria; hence, these pollutants are frequently seen alongside its buildings.
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Carbon Monoxide: Carbon monoxide (CO) is emitted as an odorless gas when fossil fuels are burned. It can harm the human body as it reduces the blood’s oxygen-carrying ability and can result in dizziness, coma, and even premature death.
How Does Indoor Air Quality Affect Respiratory Health?
- Some health effects might be seen shortly after a single exposure or continuous exposure to a pollutant. These effects are irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. These effects, which occur immediately frequently, do not last for a long duration and can be treated too. Sometimes, the treatment is to just eliminate the person's exposure to the factor that causes pollution if it is known. Immediately after exposure to indoor air pollutants, symptoms of diseases like asthma might be seen, which can aggravate or worsen.
- The likelihood of just-after reactions to indoor air pollutants relies on multiple factors like age and preexisting medical conditions. In some cases, how a person reacts to a pollutant relies on individual sensitivity, which varies excessively from one person to another. Some people might get sensitized to biological or chemical pollutants after repeated or high levels of exposure to the pollutants.
- Certain immediate effects resemble those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is frequently tough to tell if the symptoms are due to exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is crucial to pay attention to the time and place in which symptoms occur. If the symptoms disappear or go away when a person is not present in that area, for example, an effort should be made to detect indoor air sources, which might be the possible reason. Some of the effects can turn worse due to the limited availability of outdoor air entering indoors or from the heating, cooling, or humidity prevalent indoors.
- If asbestos is found in the home, it can result in significant complications such as asbestosis (it is a kind of lung disease seen due to inhalation of asbestos fibers), lung cancer, mesothelioma (a tumor of the tissue lining the lungs, stomach, heart, and other organs), and cancers.
- Asthma symptoms, throat discomfort, the flu, and many other respiratory issues can be noted if dust mites, animal dander, or other air pollutants enter the home.
- Due to the poor quality of indoor air, individuals who are prone to smoking tobacco get severe pneumonia, respiratory irritation, bronchitis, heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema.
- The harmful carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide produced by gas or wood stoves and heaters in the home can cause respiratory problems.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Indoor Air Quality Over Respiratory Health?
Some of the long-term health effects might be seen either years after the exposure or only after long or recurring periods of exposure. These effects can cause some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer and can even turn severe or can become life-threatening sometimes. It is crucial to make an effort to improve the indoor air quality inside the home, even if symptoms are not noted.
In people who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis), air pollution can make it hard to breathe, trigger asthma attacks, or result in wheezing and coughing.
Conclusion
Air is a basic necessity for every individual to live. Thus, its quality is crucial in leading a healthy and disease-free life. The air quality not only outside the houses is deteriorating day by day, but indoors as well. Several pollutants are harming its quality. These pollutants include CO emitted from fuels, dust mites, asbestos, and more. The indoor air quality needs to be maintained by proper ventilation; otherwise, it will result in serious health hazards that might not be noticed immediately but can occur anytime in the future. Some of the consequences of poor indoor air quality are emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, asbestosis, and more. Their effects can be managed by improving the quality of air for breathing.
