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Weak Emphasis on IAQ Puts Children, Older Adults, Chronically Ill at Risk

There is no doubt that sustainable (green) building saves energy and water and helps protect the outdoor environment. But in all the excitement about building green, one important issue frequently gets pushed into the background and that is the quality of the air we breathe indoors. Poor indoor air quality places nearly 40 percent of the US population at risk for serious health problems, including respiratory disease, cancer and developmental problems.

"This large segment of the US population is comprised of sensitive population groups, such as children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses or suppressed immune systems -- people who are especially vulnerable to indoor air pollutants. Consequently, special attention must be paid to the indoor environments in which these people spend their time, especially homes, schools and health care facilities," said Tony Worthan, PH and President of AQS.

A new AQS white paper, IAQ and Sensitive Populations, provides an overview of which indoor air contaminants are of most concern and the health effects associated with them, who is at risk and what type of indoor environments are most impacted. It is available free of charge from the Aerias-AQS IAQ Resource Center at www.aerias.org.

Children, for example, are more vulnerable to exposure and face greater environmental health risks to indoor pollutants than adults. A recent study found that children exposed to high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were four times more likely to develop asthma than adults. A growing number of scientists also are concerned that exposure to very small traces of VOCs and some industrial chemicals in homes and schools may have profound impacts on fetuses, newborns and children, including disruptions to the endocrine system (hormones), gene activation and brain development.

At the other end of the age spectrum, older people also are at a greater risk for health problems from indoor air pollution. Exposure to indoor air pollutants, such as VOCs from household products, may not only increase the risk of developing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, but also neurologic and cognitive effects, motor dysfunction and vision impairment.

Almost one-half of all Americans live with chronic illness. Building related symptoms and building related illnesses having been identified as frequent contributors to short-term and chronic adverse health effects. For people confined indoors due to illness, the consequences can be more severe than for the general population. By far, allergies and asthma are the most prevalent of all chronic diseases, with 60 million people in the US affected as compared with 3 million people with Parkinson's disease, 5 million with Alzheimer's disease, 6 million who have had a stroke, 7 million with heart disease, 10 million with cancer and 17 million with diabetes. In addition, people with immunosuppressive diseases also are at increased risk for adverse health effects from indoor air pollutants.

The white paper also reviews the readily available technology and strategies to provide healthy indoor environments for people who are especially vulnerable to indoor air pollution, including source control, ventilation and filtration. The paper provides a list of resources for establishing healthy building materials and practices, including the Green Guide for Health Care (www.gghc.org), which is a collaborative effort by a group of leading US architects and designers, for improving indoor environmental conditions in healthcare facilities. The Green Guide for Health Care is modeled on the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard, but goes beyond LEED and includes a more robust framework based on environmental health considerations. Each recommendation includes a summary of its impact on patient health, worker health or the health of the environment.

Air Quality Sciences, Inc. is a fully integrated indoor air quality (IAQ) company that provides solutions to create healthy indoor environments and avoid potentially dangerous indoor pollution. As the only indoor air quality firm with laboratories that are ISO 9001:2000 registered and ISO 17025 accredited, AQS sets the standard for effective diagnoses and reliable solutions. AQS provides product testing services for the GREENGUARD certification programs and the German Blue Angel Labeling programs, which provide independent, third-party certification for products used indoors. For more information, visit www.aqs.com. To learn more about indoor air quality, visit Aerias-AQS IAQ Resource Center at www.aerias.org.