If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from home or work, for example, an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes. Some effects may be made worse by an inadequate supply of outdoor air or from the heating, cooling or humidity conditions prevalent in the building. Long-term Effects Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart diseases and cancer, can be severely debilitating or even fatal. While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects, there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure result in specific health problems.
Individuals also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants.
Further research will help us understand which health effects occur after exposure to the average pollutant concentrations found indoors and which occur from occasional exposures to higher concentrations. Regardless, it is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality around you even if symptoms are not noticeable. This site is a great resource for information on many indoor air quality topics. All rights reserved.