To evaluate the levels of indoor air pollution in rural areas of China and their effects on respiratory health, we monitored the indoor (bedroom and kitchen) and outdoor levels of PM10, SO2 and CO in 189 randomly selected households of rural areas, Anhui province, China. We also conducted an investigation of 487 subjects between the ages of 15 – 65 years old with a questionnaire. The PM10 level...

BACKGROUND The study of the microbial communities in the built environment is of critical importance as humans spend the majority of their time indoors. While the microorganisms in living spaces, especially those in the air, can impact health and well-being, little is known of their identity and the processes that determine their assembly. We investigated the source-sink relationships of airbor...

NO₂ and particulate matter are the air pollutants of most concern in Ireland, with possible links to the higher respiratory and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity rates found in the country compared to the rest of Europe. Currently, air quality limits in Europe only cover outdoor environments yet the quality of indoor air is an essential determinant of a person's well-being, especially sinc...

Much of the world population, particularly in developing countries, still relies on firewood to meet basic energy needs. The resulting indoor air pollution can have severe health consequences, particularly for young children who spend considerable time in close proximity to the fire while their mothers cook. In this paper we use data from a household survey to examine gas stove adoption, firewo...

The adverse effects of contaminated outdoor air have been recognized and subject to control for many years. More recently environmental engineers and health professionals have become cognizant of the hazards associated with contaminated indoor air. It is now understood that contaminated indoor air negatively impacts human health, worker productivity, and physical property. Volatile organic comp...

It is estimated that even up to 30% of buildings worldwide may be the subject of complaints connected with the quality of indoor air. Potential sources of air pollution can be both organic and inorganic particles. This article focuses on biological air pollutants from living and dead biological sources, especially those connected with fungi. Fungi found in the indoor air of domestic dwellings i...

On the base of the residential interior decoration and the air pollution status in China, as the requirements of indoor air quality at present are increasing, from the concept of healthy house, new idea is proposed that indoor air pollution is controlled by overall process through green interior design, selecting environmentally friendly materials and green decoration for safety, healthy and en...

To ensure that indoor air quality mitigation approaches, such as ventilation, are providing the desired indoor air quality, it is necessary to better understand the varied sources of indoor air contaminants and how different mitigation approaches will affect those sources. This article describes a generalized model that describes the efficacy of different indoor air quality improvement strategi...

There are many indoor pollutants in the residential buildings. High insulation and tightness in buildings in order to increase energy efficiency and to lower energy costs is led to the indoor air quality problems. To provide sufficient fresh air and to promote indoor air quality at acceptable level, it is needed to increase ventilation rate to overcome such pollutants. The aim of this paper is ...