Indoor Air Pollution and Respiratory Health

Air contaminants in the indoor environment may be more hazardous to respiratory health than pollutants found in the outdoor air. Much of the current attention to the health effects of indoor air pollution has resulted from energy-conservation ef-forts. For example, insulation of homes has reduced fresh-air exchanges with the outdoors, thus preventing dilution of air contaminants. In addition, alternative heat-ing devices such as kerosene heaters have recently been recognized as a major source of indoor pollution. Although innumerable gases and particulates contami-nate the indoor environment, respiratory effects can be attributed to only a few pollutants that may reach high concentrations indoors. These agents include oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, particulates, and even sulfur dioxide. We discuss the sources of these contaminants and provide a review of their pul-monary health effects. The respiratory care practitioner should be aware of the potential for these indoor pollutants to cause acute and chronic respiratory prob-lems. (Witek TJ, Schachter EN, Leaderer BP. Indoor Air Pollution and Respiratory Health. Respir Care 1984;29:147-154.