Indoor Air Pollution

There are many causes of indoor air pollution. Some are readily recognized due to their smell, but many others go undetected.

The smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes is one of the most common – and most dangerous – indoor air pollutants. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 70 that are carcinogenic. When inhaled, these chemicals can also cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other cardiovascular diseases that result in heart attacks and other serious consequences.

Secondhand tobacco smoke is another a major indoor air pollutant. In fact, secondhand smoke exposure is estimated to cause about 7,300 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults in the United States each year.

Further, some reports suggest that tobacco smoke causes 10 times more air pollution than diesel car exhaust, making it one of the most severe indoor air pollution sources.

Another common indoor air pollutant is PM from cooking stoves. In developing countries, solid fuels such as wood, coal, and dung are often burned indoors for cooking and heating.

Exposure to high levels of PM from indoor cooking stoves has links to a variety of health problems, including respiratory infections, asthma, heart disease and cancer. In fact, indoor air pollution from cooking stoves is responsible for approximately 3.1 million premature deaths each year, primarily women and children, the United Nations says.

It might seem like indoor air pollution is an impossible problem to solve, but there are ways to reduce pollutant levels.

One of the main ways to reduce indoor air pollution is by ensuring proper ventilation. Proper ventilation helps remove polluted indoor air and replace it with fresh, clean air from outside.

When indoor spaces are not adequately ventilated, pollutants can build up to dangerous levels. This is especially a concern in homes that are sealed tight to conserve energy.

Inadequate ventilation can also lead to a build-up of carbon dioxide, which can cause health problems, including headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.

The future of indoor air pollution control lies in the hands of technology. Currently, several air purifiers on the market use cutting-edge technology to remove indoor air pollutants.

Further, indoor air pollutants can now be detected with more precise, efficient and compact sensors thanks to advances in environmental sensing technology. As a result, intelligent home systems use sensors like these to keep track of indoor air quality and notify the ventilation system before dangerous levels are reached.

In the future, indoor air pollution may also be controlled through nanotechnology, which works by trapping or destroying indoor contaminants on a molecular level. This technology is already being developed for air purifiers and can potentially remove indoor pollutants at a much smaller scale than current methods.

Innovation is never limited; new and more effective ideas and inventions can be developed to combat indoor air pollution. Today, however, steps can be taken to ensure indoor air pollution is limited. A critical aspect of this effort is addressing air pollution on a global scale. Launched at COP26 by the World Economic Forum, Clean Air Fund and Stockholm Environment Institute, the Alliance for Clean Air brings together business leaders to prioritize air quality, reduce emissions and drive impactful action in the climate movement.