title: Indoor air pollution: a global health concern.
abstract: Indoor air pollution is ubiquitous, and takes many forms, ranging from smoke emitted from solid fuel combustion, especially in households in developing countries, to complex mixtures of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds present in modern buildings. This paper reviews sources of, and health risks associated with, various indoor chemical pollutants, from a historical and global perspective. Health effects are presented for individual compounds or pollutant mixtures based on real-world exposure situations. Health risks from indoor air pollution are likely to be greatest in cities in developing countries, especially where risks associated with solid fuel combustion coincide with risk associated with modern buildings. Everyday exposure to multiple chemicals, most of which are present indoors, may contribute to increasing prevalence of asthma, autism, childhood cancer, medically unexplained symptoms, and perhaps other illnesses. Given that tobacco consumption and synthetic chemical usage will not be declining at least in the near future, concerns about indoor air pollution may be expected to remain.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute & School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kirk R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004782:Environmental Health; D005544:Forecasting; D005579:Fossil Fuels / Q000009:adverse effects; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals / Q000009:adverse effects; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D005579:Fossil Fuels; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution