Research article

SOURCES AND EFFECTS OF INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS: A REVIEW

Nidhi Rajoria*,Charu Jhamaria*,Shivani Sharma*,Namrata Singh, Tanisha Ameriya* and Akanksha Gupta*

Online First: January 30, 2023


Exposure to pollutants in the indoor environment is a major global public concern as people spend ≥ 80-90% of their daily time indoors especially at work places homes, hospitals, restaurants, garage, indoor parking, temples, beauty salons, offices, and other enclosed building. This fact makes it important to investigate possible source of indoor air pollutants and to consider their contributions to adverse health effects. Indoor air may be polluted by a variety of pollutants such as Particulate matter (PM), Volatile organic compound (VOCs), Nitrogen oxide (NO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) etc. which vary in chemical composition, reaction capabilities, emission source, disintegration time, and capacity to spread across long or short distances. Indoor air pollutants affect human health in both acute (perceptible) and chronic ways, affecting a variety of systems and organs. It can cause everything from modest upper respiratory irritation to chronic respiratory and heart disease, cardiopulmonary disease, lung cancer, hematological issues, occupational skin and genotoxic repercussions, kidney and liver damage, and even eventual mortality. Short and long term effects of indoor air pollutants on human health are discussed in this paper which would form a basis for further scientific interventions.

Keywords

Particulate matter, Indoor Air Quality, Respiratory diseases