Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants. Understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can help reduce your risk of indoor health concerns.

Health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later. Indoor air pollution, which is primarily caused by inefficient and poorly ventilated stoves that burn biomass fuels such as wood, crop waste and dung, or coal, kills an estimated 1.6 million people per year.

• Children under the age of five account for more than half of these deaths.
• Indoor air pollution ranks fourth among the risk factors that contribute to disease and death in developing countries with high overall mortality rates.

According to current World Health Organization estimates, solid fuels, such as biomass fuels and coal, are used to cook and heat more than half of the world's population (52 percent). More than 2.4 billion people, mostly among the world's poorest, are expected to rely solely on biomass, such as wood, crop wastes, dung, and other biomass fuels, for their heating and cooking needs.

Types of Pollutants:

• Asbestos
• Biological Pollutants
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Formaldehyde/Pressed Wood Products
• Lead (Pb)
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
• Pesticides Radon (Rn)
• Indoor Particulate Matter eg. Mold
• Secondhand Smoke/Environmental Tobacco Smoke
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Mold Mold is a fungus that grows from spores that stick to wet spots in structures. It digests the materials it comes into contact with and can grow on a variety of surfaces. It thrives in humid conditions and is particularly frequent in the winter and in more humid areas.

Mold can take on a range of characteristics due to the several species of fungus that generate it. Mold might be white, black, green, or yellow in colour, and its texture can be slick, fuzzy, or scratchy. Mold, on the other hand, can emit a variety of harmful toxins into the air and produce a variety of symptoms—and is especially dangerous to babies, children, the elderly, and people who already have skin or respiratory problems.

Smoke from Tobacco Environmental tobacco smoke, often known as secondhand smoking, is a major source of indoor air pollution, accounting for approximately 40,000 deaths each year. Children are particularly vulnerable to cigarette smoke inhalation, which increases their risk of SIDS, severe asthma, ear difficulties, and acute respiratory infections. Furthermore, cigarette smoke contains at least 70 carcinogens, or cancer-causing compounds, as well as about 7,000 other substances that your body could do without. These substances can induce illnesses including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other cardiovascular ailments, which can lead to heart attacks and other serious complications, when inhaled.

Indoor Particulate matter Indoor air pollution can be caused by a variety of everyday products found in practically every home. These are some of them:

Disinfectants and cleaning agents Paints, glueing materials, and solvents Personal care items Fresheners for the air Candles These items may release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, nausea, organ damage, and, in some circumstances, cancer.

Radon

A totally unscented and inactive gas, radon can leak up through the ground and diffuse into the air in your structure. At the point when it goes through rot, radon produces radiation which can connect to clean particles and pass into the lungs causing harm. Despite the fact that it might appear to be bizarre, reviews have shown that radon focus inside is a significant degree higher than those commonly tracked down outside.

Indoor pollution majorly refers to air & noise pollution. Following are the main causes of indoor pollution.

1. Pollutants are also found indoors from infiltration of polluted outside air and from various chemicals used or produced inside buildings. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution are equally harmful.
2. Indoor air pollution occurs due to the use of fuel wood, waste material, coal, etc. in ‘chulas’. Indoor smoke arising from ‘Chulas’ is a major issue in rural India. Thousands of women and children die yearly due to it.
3. ‘Second hand smoke’ i.e. tobacco smoke affecting other people apart from active smoker is also a major indoor pollutant.
4. Molds & other biological particulate substances like plant pollen & animal dander.
5. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) arising from paints, lacquers, thinners, pesticides, whiteners, glues etc. are found in much higher concentration indoors than outdoors.
6. Loudly played radio or music systems, and other electronic gadgets can contribute to indoor noise pollution.