Knowra Indoor air quality Indoor air quality Indoor air quality is the condition of air inside buildings as it relates to occupants’ health and comfort. It depends on pollutants, ventilation, humidity, temperature, and other environmental factors.
Ventilation : The intentional exchange of indoor air with outdoor air to control temperature, moisture, and contaminants. Outdoor-air exchange dilutes indoor pollutants, while inadequate ventilation lets them build up.
Particulate matter : A mixture of airborne solid particles and liquid droplets, classified by size and composition. Indoor particles arise from cooking, combustion, dust, and outdoor air entering buildings.
Indoor air quality monitoring : The measurement or estimation of pollutants and environmental conditions inside buildings. Monitoring can reveal patterns, but measurements need interpretation in relation to sources and exposure.
Sick building syndrome : A pattern of nonspecific symptoms associated with time spent in a building, without a single identified cause. It describes complaints that may prompt an indoor air assessment but do not identify a specific pollutant.
Air changes per hour : A measure of how many times an air volume equivalent to a room’s volume is supplied or removed each hour. It quantifies ventilation rate, though not whether supplied air is clean or well distributed.
Volatile organic compounds : Carbon-containing chemicals that readily evaporate at room temperature. Paints, furnishings, cleaning products, and other indoor sources can release these gases.
Carbon dioxide monitoring : The measurement of carbon dioxide concentration in air, commonly used to assess occupancy-related ventilation. Indoor carbon dioxide can help indicate ventilation relative to occupancy, but is not a complete air-quality measure.
Building-related illness : An illness with a diagnosable cause linked to exposure within a building. Unlike nonspecific building complaints, these illnesses have identifiable agents or mechanisms.
Air filtration : The removal of particles from air by passing it through a filtering material or device. Filtration reduces airborne particles that ventilation alone may not remove effectively.
Carbon monoxide : A colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels. Faulty or poorly vented combustion appliances can create a serious indoor poisoning hazard.
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