# A Review of Indoor Air Quality in Social Housing Across Low- and Middle-Income Countries
## 3 Results of the Literature Survey
\begin{table}
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**Category** & **Reference** & **Year** & **Location** & **Study Aim** \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [62] & 2023 & Tropical Regions & Evaluate the impact of larger windows and insulation materials on reducing overheating. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [63] & 2024 & Brazil & Assess cavity depth and height impact on airflow in low-rise social housing. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [64] & 2017 & South India & Explore IAQ disparities in low- vs. high-income homes and their impact on health. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [65] & 2019 & Nigeria & Assess the impact of unreliable utilities on IAQ in Nigerian social housing. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [66] & 2024 & Nigeria & Explore IAQ challenges related to Harmattan dust and maintenance issues. \\ \hline [PERSON] \& [PERSON] [67] & India & Examine health benefits of moving to better housing environments. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [68] & 2017 & Nigeria & Analyze child mortality related to substandard building materials in Nigerian housing. \\ \hline [PERSON] \& [PERSON] [69] & 2023 & Mumbai, India & Study occupant behaviors for managing IAQ in low-income housing. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [70] & 2021 & Mexico & Examine the relationship between housing conditions, socio-economic factors, and indoor air quality in low-income housing in Mexico. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [71; 72] & 2024 & Mumbai, India & Investigate the impact of socio-economic characteristics on thermal comfort and appliance usage patterns. \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. [73] & 2024 & Brazil & Explore how social housing residents in a hot–humid climate interacts with building openings to regulate thermal comfort. \\ \hline \end{tabular}
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Table 2: _Cont._more cross-regional- and/or cross-housing-type analyses to better understand the structural and environmental factors influencing IAQ. Figure 3 illustrates the geographical scope of included studies, spanning 16 LMICs, which are highlighted in red. Locations range from densely populated urban areas of Mumbai, India, to regions like Colombia and Indonesia, characterized by varying housing types and climatic conditions that influence the applicability of IAQ results across different countries. For example, in the UAE's desert climate, attached garages and split AC systems were identified as primary contributors to PM2.5 and CO levels, whereas in low-income settlements of tropical Paraguay, the use of solid fuels like charcoal and wood for cooking were the main indoor pollutants. In contrast, studies in the United States highlighted the impact of weather patterns and ventilation systems on PM2.5 levels, while studies in Ireland linked increased radon concentrations to inadequate ventilation practices [74]. These examples show how regional climatic and socio-economic contexts differ the results of IAQ studies even when similar pollutants are assessed. The included articles used a wide range of research methods, from field measurements and experimental studies to surveys and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. This methodological diversity is key to capturing the complex dynamics affecting IAQ in these settings and allows for the assessment of a wide range of pollutants including PM2.5, PM10, CO, formaldehyde, and VOCs. This review aims to highlight the current challenges and promising opportunities for IAQ research in social housing within developing countries, which can contribute significantly to improving residents living conditions and health. Figure 2: The yearly distribution of the 43 identified studies, categorized into Direct Measurements (DMs), Health and Comfort (H&C), Retrofit and Maintenance (R&M), Comparative Studies (CS), and Housing Conditions and Socio-Economic Factors (HC&SeFs).