Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person's exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be identified. The likelihood of an individual developing immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors. Age and pre-existing medical conditions are two important influences. Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long repeated periods of exposure. These include emphysema and other respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal.
People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants.
Further research is needed to better understand which health effects can occur after exposure to the average pollutant concentrations found in homes and which can occur from the higher concentrations that occur for short periods of time. Some health effects can be useful indicators of an indoor air quality problem, especially if they appear after a person moves to a new residence, remodels or refurnishes a home, or treats a home with pesticides. If you think that you have symptoms that may be related to your home environment, you should discuss with your doctor or your local health department whether such symptoms could be caused by indoor air pollution. The federal government recommends that you measure the level of radon in your home. For pollutants other than radon, measurements are most appropriate when there are either health symptoms or signs of poor air flow and specific sources or pollutants have been identified as possible causes of indoor air quality problems.