Every day, people are exposed to a variety of indoor pollutants emanating from a wide array of sources, including smoking, building materials and furnishings, cleaning and deodorizing agents, and biological contaminants. These and other indoor air pollutants may or may not adversely affect the health of the exposed individual. The person may not even know that he or she has been exposed to a potentially harmful substance. Effective response to citizen concerns about indoor air pollution problems requires a basic understanding of what indoor air pollutants are, where they come from, and how they reach and affect the body. While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects, there isconsiderable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems.
People also react very differently to exposure of indoor air pollutants.
Further research is needed to better understand the health effects that occur after exposure to the average pollutant concentrations in homes, schools and offices. Further studies also are needed on buildings with more severe pollutant concentration problems. Concern about the indoor environment is an emerging issue that will continue to grow into the next century.