Indoor Air Pollution: Common Pollutants, Health Effects, and Control Measures, Slides of Biology

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Indoor Air Pollution

Contents

• Introduction

• Sources and impacts of common indoor air

pollutants

• Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

• Legionnaires’ disease

• Control measures

Common indoor air pollutants [1]

• Biological contaminants
• Carbon dioxide
• Carbon monoxide
• Nitrogen oxides
• Environmental tobacco smoke
• Formaldehyde
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Ozone
• Radon

Common indoor air pollutants [2]

• Biological contaminants
  • Bacteria, fungi and viruses
  • Breed in humid environment
  • Spread through ventilation systems
  • Sources:
    • Naturally exist in air, humid and poor ventilated area
  • Effects:
    • Vary with types
    • e.g. Sick Building Syndrome, Legionnaires’ disease, Colds and Influenza

Common indoor air pollutants [4]

• Carbon monoxide
  • No color, smell and taste
  • Inhibits oxygen transport in blood
  • Irreversibly binds to hemoglobin
  • Very toxic
  • Sources:
    • Incomplete combustion
  • Effects:
    • Low concentration:
      • Flu-like symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, rapid breathing, chest tightness and impaired judgement, cardiovascular diseases
    • High concentration:
      • death

Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released during combustion. (Sources: http://hkcg.com)

Common indoor air pollutants [5]

• Nitrogen oxides

• e.g. NO and NO 2
• Gas generated from combustions
• Sources:
  • Burning of cigarette
  • Vehicles exhaust fumes
• Effects:
  • Irritate eye and respiratory tract

Common indoor air pollutants [7]

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  • A range of organic compounds
  • Examples: benzene, chloroform and xylene
  • Evaporate at room temperature
  • Some are carcinogens, e.g. benzene and formaldehyde
  • Sources:
    • Solvents, cleaning agents, wood, paints, plastic, dyes, office machines (fax machines,computers, printers, etc), insecticides, and etc.
  • Effects:
    • eye, nose, throat and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, poor concentration, dizziness and tiredness
    • damages of central nervous system, liver and kidney

Common indoor air pollutants [8]

Cleaning agents are also a source of indoor VOCs. (Sources: http://www.wellcome.hk.com)

Some home appliance such as personal computer can release VOCs too. (Sources: http://www.fortress.com.hk)

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (con’t)

Common indoor air pollutants [10]

• Ozone
  • Odorless and colorless
  • Highly reactive
  • Sources:
    • photocopier, laser printers and ionisers
  • Effects:
    • Damage lung seriously
    • Irritate eye and respiratory tract

Photocopiers also release ozone. (Sources: http://www.fortress.com)Docsity.com

Common indoor air pollutants [11]

• Radon
  • No color, smell and taste
  • radioactive.
  • Sources:
    • Release from granite in the concrete building.
  • Effects:
    • Prolonged intake:
      • increase the incidence of lung cancer
    • The mixture of radon and tobacco smoke is much more harmful to human
    • Smokers have high probability of having lung cancers than non- smokers under the same level of radon.

Legionnaires’ disease

• Caused by bacteria, Legionnella pneumophila
• Symptoms:
  • Pneumonia, high-fever, chills, headache and muscle pain

Control measures

• Eliminate the sources of pollutant
• Increase ventilation
• Keep the ventilation system clean

Upgrade, clean and sterilize the air conditioner is one way to keep the indoor air in good quality. (Sources: http://www.fortress.com.hk)

Covering the wall with wallpaper can eliminate the release of radon from concrete. (Sources: http://www.corbis.com)

Relevant Websites

• Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health

(http://www.info.gov.hk/hkcosh/)

• Indoor Air Quality Association (http://www.iaqa.org)
• Indoor Air Quality Information Centre

(http://www.iaq.gov.hk/)

• World Health Organisation (WHO)

(http://www.who.int/home-page/)

• Environmental Protection Department

(http://www.info.gov.hk/epd/index.htm)