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Here we provide a table listing common indoor air quality contaminants, their sources, effects, typical levels, and steps to reduce exposure. This article series includes excerpts from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons.

© Copyright 2010 Daniel Friedman, Steve Bliss, Wiley & Sons, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Guide to Finding & Reducing Common Indoor Air Pollutants & Contamination Sources

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

• Table 7-5, Table of Common Indoor Air Hazards is at INDOOR AIR HAZARDS TABLE provided just below in this document
• Table 7-9, Table of Combustion Products and Indoor Air Quality is at INDOOR COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ

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.

-- 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.

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Technical Reviewers & References

• InspectAPedia.com^® - Daniel Friedman
• 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.
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• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS GUIDE
AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR
ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS
ALLERGENS in BUILDINGS, RECOGNIZING
ALLERGY TESTS for PEOPLE
ALLERGY TEST ACCURACY
FLOODS IN BUILDINGS-priorities
FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOLD
MOLD INFORMATION CENTER
ACCURACY OF VARIOUS MOLD TEST METHODS
ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT INDOOR MOLD
CARBON MONOXIDE/DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING
CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR
CHIMNEYS & Flues - Asbestos Transite Pipe
CLEARANCE INSPECTIONS - MOLD CLEANUP
COMBUSTION AIR
COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT BUILDINGS
COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ
DO IT YOURSELF MOLD CLEANUP
ENERGY SAVINGS in BUILDINGS
  ENERGY AUDIT - How to Use a Free One
  ENERGY SAVINGS MAXIMIZE RETURNS ON
  ENERGY SAVINGS PRIORITIES
  ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT CASE STUDY
  ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT LEAK SEALING GUIDE
  ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT OPTIONS
  ENERGY USE MONITORING
  TIMERS for ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS
FIND MOLD in BUILDINGS, HOW TO
FUNGICIDAL SPRAY & SEALANT USE GUIDE
HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND
HUMIDITY CONTROL TO PREVENT MOLD
INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS
INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE
  Health Effects of Air Pollutants
  Common Indoor Air Pollutants
  Key Strategies for Improving Indoor Air Quality
  Whole House Ventilation Strategies
  Air Filtering Strategies
  Particles in Indoor Air - Chart
  Quick Guide to Gases
  Air-Cleaner Types
  Air Filter Effectiveness
  Real-World Effectiveness of Air Cleaners
  Finding & Reducing Air Pollutants
  Radon Hazards
  Formaldehyde Hazards
  Biological Pollutants
  Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs
  Pesticide Exposure Hazards
  Lead Exposure Hazards
  Asbestos Exposure Hazards
  Carpeting and Indoor Air Quality
  Combustion Appliance Contaminants
  Backdrafting Appliances
  Fireplace & Woodstove Contaminants
  INDOOR AIR HAZARDS TABLE
  INDOOR COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ
  ODORS, Smells, Gases in Buildings-Diagnosis & Cure
INDOOR AIR QUALITY METHODS COMPARED
LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE
MILDEW in BUILDINGS ?
MILDEW ERRORS - MOLD PHOTOS
MILDEW REMOVAL & PREVENTION
MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS
MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOLD
MOLD ATLAS & PARTICLES INDEX
MOLD BY MICROSCOPE
MOLD CLASSES, HAZARD LEVELS
MOLD CLEANERS - WHAT TO USE
MOLD CLEANUP COMPANIES
MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD
MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE
ODORS, Smells, Gases in Buildings-Diagnosis & Cure
RENTERS & TENANTS GUIDE TO MOLD
SEWAGE BACKUP TEST & CLEANUP
STAIN DIAGNOSIS
TECHNICAL & LAB PROCEDURES
THERMAL TRACKING

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Wiley.com and also at Amazon.com. See our book review of this publication.

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity, exposure limits, poisoning symptoms, and inspecting buildings for CO hazards
• Dust from HVAC? 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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