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Indoor Air Pollution and Health
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Indoor Air Pollution and Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2018) | Viewed by 29868

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peter Franklin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia (M431), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Interests: environmental epidemiology; occupational epidemiology; air pollution; indoor air pollution; asbestos; mining exposures
Dr. Krassi Rumchev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6009, Australia
Interests: indoor air pollution; respiratory and cardiovascular health; children’s health; ultrafine particles; risk assessment; health impact assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Indoor air pollution (IAP) is the most important environmental health risk factor worldwide. It is a major contributor to both mortality and morbidity, responsible for an estimated 4.3 million deaths (7.7% of global mortality) in 2012. The burden of disease from IAP is disproportionally borne by poor people in low to middle income countries (LMIC). In LMIC, indoor or household air pollution (HAP) from biomass burning for cooking and heating is a cause death for pneumonia, stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.

Indoor air pollution is also a health concern in high income countries (HIC), but the health effects attributable to IAP in HIC are far more subtle and difficult to quantify. In HIC the term “indoor air” is usually applied to nonindustrial indoor environments such as public, commercial, and office buildings, schools, private dwellings, and even vehicles. Air in these environments can contain a large variety of biological and chemical pollutants that are emitted from a range of sources including heating and cooking appliances, building materials, furnishings, paints and solvents, personal care products, cleaning agents, electronic equipment, dampness, and pets. Concentrations of pollutants in non-industrial indoor environments are generally low, but have been associated with irritant effects, respiratory symptoms, allergy, neuro-behavioural problems, and general malaise. There are still many gaps in our knowledge about IAP and health in HIC, mostly due to difficulties in obtaining good exposure estimates.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest research in IAP and health. We welcome papers on IAP and health from both LIMC and HIC. We especially welcome papers using innovative exposure assessments and study designs to better understand the health impacts of indoor pollutants and pollution mixes.

Dr. Peter Franklin
Dr. Krassi Rumchev
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • indoor air pollution
  • household air pollution
  • exposure
  • biological agents
  • chemical pollutants
  • biomass burning
  • human health
  • pollution mixtures

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Maternal Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution and Birth Outcomes
by Peter Franklin, Mark Tan, Naomi Hemy and Graham L. Hall
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(8), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081364 - 16 Apr 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5661
Abstract
There is a growing body of research on the association between ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes. However, people in high income countries spend most of their time indoors. Pregnant women spend much of that time at home. The aim of this [...] Read more.
There is a growing body of research on the association between ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes. However, people in high income countries spend most of their time indoors. Pregnant women spend much of that time at home. The aim of this study was to investigate if indoor air pollutants were associated with poor birth outcomes. Pregnant women were recruited prior to 18 weeks gestation. They completed a housing questionnaire and household chemical use survey. Indoor pollutants, formaldehyde (HCHO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were monitored in the women’s homes at 34 weeks gestation. Gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW) and length (BL) and head circumference (HC) were collected from birth records. The associations between measured pollutants, and pollution surrogates, were analysed using general linear models, controlling for maternal age, parity, maternal health, and season of birth. Only HCHO was associated with any of the birth outcomes. There was a 0.044 decrease in BW z-score (p = 0.033) and 0.05 decrease in HC z-score (p = 0.06) for each unit increase in HCHO. Although HCHO concentrations were very low, this finding is consistent with other studies of formaldehyde and poor birth outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Air Pollution and Health)
10 pages, 618 KiB  
Article
The Association between Indoor Air Quality and Adult Blood Pressure Levels in a High-Income Setting
by Krassi Rumchev, Mario Soares, Yun Zhao, Christopher Reid and Rachel Huxley
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(9), 2026; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15092026 - 17 Sep 2018
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4772
Abstract
Background: Indoor air pollution is still considered one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to investigate the potential association between indoor particulate matter (PM) and fasting clinic blood pressure in adult Australians. Methods: Sixty-three participants residing within the [...] Read more.
Background: Indoor air pollution is still considered one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to investigate the potential association between indoor particulate matter (PM) and fasting clinic blood pressure in adult Australians. Methods: Sixty-three participants residing within the Perth metropolitan area were studied. Participants were aged between 18 and 65 years and free of major medical conditions. We conducted 24-h monitoring of residential PM concentrations, including the size fractions PM1, PM2.5, PM4, and PM10. All participants attended a clinical assessment at Curtin University following a 10–12 h overnight fast. Results: In this study we found that PM1 and PM2.5 were significantly associated with heart rate: a one interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM1 or PM2.5 was associated with a 4–6 beats per minute (bpm) increase in heart rate. Both PM10 and total PM exposure had a significant impact on systolic blood pressure (SBP): a one IQR increase in PM10 and total PM were associated with a 10 mmHg (95% CI: 0.77–20.05) and 12 mmHg (2.28–22.43 mmHg) increase in SBP, respectively. Conclusion: The study findings provide additional support to the thesis that indoor air pollution is an important modifiable factor in the risk of hypertension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Air Pollution and Health)
278 KiB  
Article
Personal, Psychosocial and Environmental Factors Related to Sick Building Syndrome in Official Employees of Taiwan
by Chung-Yen Lu, Meng-Chuan Tsai, Chih-Hsin Muo, Yu-Hsien Kuo, Fung-Chang Sung and Chin-Ching Wu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15010007 - 22 Dec 2017
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 6645
Abstract
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a combination of symptoms that can be attributed to exposure to specific building conditions. The present study recruited 389 participants aged 20–65 years from 87 offices of 16 institutions to examine if personal factors, work-related psychosocial stress, and [...] Read more.
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a combination of symptoms that can be attributed to exposure to specific building conditions. The present study recruited 389 participants aged 20–65 years from 87 offices of 16 institutions to examine if personal factors, work-related psychosocial stress, and work environments, were associated with five groups of SBS symptoms, including symptoms for eyes, upper respiratory tract, lower respiratory tract, skin, and non-specific systems. Indoor environmental conditions were monitored. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression (MLR) analyses and were reported as adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR). SBS symptoms for eyes were associated with older age, sensitivity to tobacco, and low indoor air flow. Upper respiratory symptoms were related to smoking, low social support, longer work days, and dry air. High indoor air flow was associated with reduced upper respiratory symptoms (aOR = 0.29; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.13–0.67). Lower respiratory symptoms were associated with high work pressure, longer work hours, chemical exposure, migraine, and exposure to new interior painting. Recent interior painting exposure was associated with a high estimated relative risk of low respiratory symptoms (aOR = 20.6; 95% CI = 2.96–143). Smoking, longer work days, low indoor air flow, indoor dryness, and volatile organics exposure, were associated with other non-specified symptoms including headache, tiredness, difficulty concentrating, anger, and dizziness. In conclusion, there are various SBS symptoms associated with different personal characteristics, psychosocial, and environmental factors. Psychosocial factors had stronger relationships with lower respiratory symptoms than with other types of SBS symptoms. Good ventilation could reduce risk factors and may relieve SBS symptoms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Air Pollution and Health)

Review

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8 pages, 321 KiB  
Review
Assessment of Indoor Air Quality Problems in Office-Like Environments: Role of Occupational Health Services
by Paolo Carrer and Peder Wolkoff
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(4), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040741 - 12 Apr 2018
Cited by 59 | Viewed by 11953
Abstract
There is an increasing concern about indoor air quality (IAQ) and its impact on health, comfort, and work-performance in office-like environments and their workers, which account for most of the labor force. The Scientific Committee on Indoor Air Quality and Health of the [...] Read more.
There is an increasing concern about indoor air quality (IAQ) and its impact on health, comfort, and work-performance in office-like environments and their workers, which account for most of the labor force. The Scientific Committee on Indoor Air Quality and Health of the ICOH (Int. Comm. Occup. Health) has discussed the assessment and management of IAQ problems and proposed a stepwise approach to be conducted by a multidisciplinary team. It is recommended to integrate the building assessment, inspection by walk-through of the office workplace, questionnaire survey, and environmental measurements, in that order. The survey should cover perceived IAQ, symptoms, and psychosocial working aspects. The outcome can be used for mapping the IAQ and to prioritize the order in which problems should be dealt with. Individual health surveillance in relation to IAQ is proposed only when periodical health surveillance is already performed for other risks (e.g., video display units) or when specific clinical examination of workers is required due to the occurrence of diseases that may be linked to IAQ (e.g., Legionnaire’s disease), recurrent inflammation, infections of eyes, respiratory airway effects, and sensorial disturbances. Environmental and personal risk factors should also be compiled and assessed. Workplace health promotion should include programs for smoking cessation and stress and IAQ management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Air Pollution and Health)
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