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 Table of Common Indoor Air Hazards, Sources, Effects, Remedies
- INDOOR AIR HAZARDS TABLE - Table of common indoor air hazards and contaminants
- Asbestos - source, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- Biologicals: bacteria, mold, viruses, allergens, animal dander, dust mites, pollen - sources, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- Formaldehyde - source, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- Lead
- - source, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- Pesticides
- - source, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- Radon - source, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- VOCs - volatile organic compounds - source, health effects, exposure levels, steps to reduce
- AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR - separate article
- INDOOR COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ - separate article
- Questions & Answers about common indoor air hazards, both biological and non-biological: cause, detection, cure
- References
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
List of indoor air contaminants & hazards: here we provide a table listing common indoor air quality contaminants, their sources, effects, typical levels, and steps to reduce exposure.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Guide to Finding & Reducing Common Indoor Air Pollutants & Contamination Sources
This article series includes excerpts from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons. According to Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction:
Public health officials have focused their efforts on outside
air pollution for decades, establishing laws and guidelines
for what is acceptable air to breath. As it turns out,
however, people spend a lot more time indoors than out
and, on average, the air is far dirtier indoors. Pollutants
range from the merely unpleasant to the potentially deadly.
The health effects of low exposures to many of these substances
over long time periods is not well understood.
Yet,
it seems prudent to have a working knowledge of what’s
in the air you’re breathing and to take commonsense steps
to eliminate or minimize materials that, in larger doses,
make most people sick.
A summary of common indoor pollutants
is shown in
For a full discussion of these indoor air hazards see pages 282 and 294 in Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, Wiley & Sons.
Table of Common Indoor Air Hazards, Contaminants, Pollutants
The following table, issued in three sections, lists common indoor air hazards and contaminants, providing for each contaminant the name, description, primary household sources, health effects, typical exposure levels, and steps to reduce exposure. Below on this page we add corrosive sulphur outgassing from Chinese drywall and a link to odor detection help in buildings.
-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.
-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.
-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.
See COMBUSTION AIR for additional details about the requirement for combustion air. COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT buildings explains how to provide outside combustion air for tight buildings. See COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS for an explanation of the dangers of inadequate combustion air. See COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ for the relationship between fuel burning appliances and building indoor air quality. More about carbon monoxide - CO - is at CARBON MONOXIDE - CO and at CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING.
Update: to the indoor air quality hazards listed in these tables we add
- CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS discusses Chinese drywall odors, sulphur smells, and corrosive outgassing hazards in buildings. Major costs to remove this product, repair or replace electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC components may be involved, and there may be immediate safety hazards due to damaged smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors in buildings where Chinese drywall outgassing has caused damage.
- ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE - how to identify and remove all kinds of odors in buildings
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Steve Bliss's Building Advisor at buildingadvisor.com helps homeowners & contractors plan & complete successful building & remodeling projects: buying land, site work, building design, cost estimating, materials & components, & project management through complete construction. Email: info@buildingadvisor.com
Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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- Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
- Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity, exposure limits, poisoning symptoms, and inspecting buildings for CO hazards
- DUST, HVAC CONTAMINATION STUDY An Investigation of Indoor Dust Debris Blamed on a Heating/Cooling System Reveals Carpet Dust
- Goodman Furnace High Temperature Plastic Vent HTPV safety recall US CPSC notice
- Home Heating System Should Be Checked [for proper venting and for CO Carbon Monoxide Hazards - DJF]
- Inspection Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Systems Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems]
- Lennox Pulse Furnace Safety Inspection/Warranty Program: Carbon Monoxide Warning
- Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
- Oil Tanks Above Ground, UL Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
- Plastic Heating Vent Pipe & Other Heating Safety Recall Notices
- Weil McLain Model GV Gas Boiler/gas valve CPSC recall/repair
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