CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Indoor air quality (IAQ)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mentions that Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) as quality of the air inside buildings. The concentration of pollutants and thermal conditions can be represented by some factors which are temperature and relative humidity. All of this affects the human health, comfort, and occupants’ performance. IAQ is a state and content of internal air, especially how it affects health and safety of humans. The chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of the atmosphere inside of residences and in commercial and institutional buildings are influenced by several ways.
According to Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (ICOP) 2010, Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), good IAQ is needed for a healthy indoor environment. Besides that, poor IAQ can cause a few of health problems ranging from short term to long term. Some people can have and experience of major discomfort which then can become physically ill from the effect of IAQ (ICOP, 2010)
Recent studies by the article of encyclopaedia.com have proven that indoor air quality is generally worse than outside air quality or in other words, outside indoor quality is much better compare
…show more content…
Petrochemical plants contribute by the stationary sources more than half of the six most important air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM10) and sulphur oxide (SO) (Masters, 1998). Major occupational and environmental health effect is cause by the exposure to vapors of volatile chemicals (EPA, 1994). In the form of solid, VOCs are emitted as gasses and it include a variety of chemical which the adverse health effect may have short- and long-term adverse health
There are six common pollutants in the air, which include ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead. These pollutants led to many different symptoms across the United States. Ozone pollution leads to impaired respiratory system. Particulate matter affects respiratory systems, causes cancer, and premature death. Carbon monoxide affects the bloodstream and reduces oxygen to the body’s organs. Nitrogen oxide causes influenza. Sulfur dioxide effects respiratory illness and pulmonary defenses. Lead causes effects in the liver,
Rudel , R. A., Camann, D. E., Spengler, J. D., Korn, L. R., & Brody, J. G. (2003). Phthalates, Alkylphenols, Pesticides, Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, and Other Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Indoor Air and Dust. Environmental Science and Technology, 37(20), 4543-4553. Retrieved from http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es0264596
Environment plays a big role in human health. Having a healthy environment such as clean air can bring positive impact to people’s health.
Almost everyone occasionally feels unwell because they are suffering from one or more common symptoms of discomfort such as headaches, dry throat or sore eyes. A 1984 World Health Organization Committee report suggested that up to 30 percent of new and remodelled buildings worldwide may be the subject of excessive complaints related to indoor air quality (IAQ) (Environmental Protection Energy, 1991). But there are occasions when, for no obvious reasons, people working in particular buildings experience these sorts of symptoms more often than is usual. The symptoms tend to increase in severity with time spent in the building and improve over time or disappear away from the building (Accepta, 2014). This is often described as Sick Building Syndrome. The main symptoms associated with Sick Building Syndrome are dry or itchy skin or skin rash, dry or itchy eyes, nose or throat, headaches, lethargy, irritability, or poor concentration and stuffy or runny nose.
Air Quality Monitoring: This basically measures the quality of air how much it is rich in oxygen and what ratio of CO2 and other harmful gases are present in the room so that it can be managed providing an ambient temperature.
Air pollution is a contamination of the air we breathe. Every day, hundreds of millions of factories continue to burn fossil fuels, natural gases, and coal. In turn, these toxic pollutants cause this epidemic to only increase as the years go on. Emissions from factories are a major culprit of air pollution in this day and age. Burning of fossil fuels, including oil, coal, and natural gases are to blame. (1) Not to mention that burning fossil fuels are the leading cause smog, acid rain, and global warming. Though, we need them to power our homes and vehicles, there are very detrimental repercussions due to these necessities.
Air pollutants rise from both manufactured and natural processes. Pollutants are also defined as primary pollutants resulting from fire of fuels and manufacturing processes and secondary pollutants, those which are produced due to response of primary pollutants in the atmosphere. The ambient air quality may be defined by the attention of a set of pollutants which may be present in the ambient air we breathe in. These pollutants may be called principles pollutants. Production standards express the allowable concentrations of a contaminant at the point of discharge before any mixing with the surrounding air. (Anonymous, n.d.)
Today, our environment faces air pollution; however, some of us are still not aware of it. It is a serious matter because it is all around us, and it causes harm to every single one of us; it might not be as evident in certain areas as others, but it is still present and affecting us in numerous ways. Air pollution, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere (as cited in WHO, n.d.). In other words, air pollution is contaminated or dirty air. Furthermore, in the new estimates available, the WHO reports that 1 in
I hope this essay points out the view why air pollution is bad for our health. It causes so many respiratory problems and not only that the dangerous toxicity of the gasses that we’re exposed to everyday is killing us. Studies have shown the connection between pollutants such as ozone and sulfate have increased the number of asthma attacks. Some have said that pollution is good and when we need it sustain life on Earth. Studies also show a connection between short-term exposure and increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in at-risk populations including children, the elderly, and increasing the number of asthma attacks. The probability of having an asthma attack varies on how much due to exposure of air pollution.
Air is arguably the most needed element to sustain life on Earth. Air quality is the degree of clean air that surrounds us and good air quality refers to clean, unpolluted air that is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of life on this planet (British Columbia Air Quality 101 2016). However, with the industrialization age and its heavy use of coal power machineries, to today’s age and our ever growing use of automobile air quality has gotten worst. In the US, for example, California has the worst air quality of all the major cities (CNN Air pollution report 2016). However, several efforts are taking place to address the problem.
While all of the issues I mentioned above are related to outside where citizens easily unprotected to anywhere they visit, there is an existence of is air pollution caused indoors as well. By means of indoor, the home you are living in with harmful air particles generated by solid fuels consisted of carbon monoxide (CO), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and several other compounds (Bruce, Rogelio & Albalak, 2000. UN Report, 2008 pg. 125-126 and 129). All of those compounds were found in biomass fuels like animal dung, wood, and coal. that lead danger of respiratory health. According to the UN Habitat 2008 (pg. 125-126), “Combustion of wood, for instance, emits 50 times more indoor air pollution than gas from a stove...” this is
Air pollution results from high concentrations of chemicals and particulate matter that pose a threat to human health, ecosystems, and manmade materials. Pollutants can be solid particles, liquids, or gases and are produced by human sources along with natural sources. Pollution from natural sources tend to become diluted and dispersed without causing major harm, whereas pollutants resulting from human sources tend to be more localized and a more serious problem. Scientists categorize air contaminants into two main categories: primary pollutants that directly enter the atmosphere and secondary pollutants formed between primary air pollutants and natural air components. Recent studies have been done in an effort to identify “the contributions of secondary pollutants formed by gas phase or surface chemistry to the levels and types of air pollutants that accumulate indoors (S).” It has been hypothesized that indoor air quality is two to five times worse than outdoor pollution due to the fact that buildings are enclosed, and therefore retain the particles inside with less chance to di...
Distribution of the outdoor air where needed: It is just not only enough to change the air as a whole to provide acceptable indoor air quality. But the system should also be able to bring-in the fresh air where an occupant spends most of his time like the living room, kitchen.
In conclusion, air pollution affects the immune system, making it weak and vulnerable to certain bacteria, illnesses, viruses and foreign invaders. Common diseases that are affected the most include asthma and allergies. Air pollution in general has been seen to modify the immune system's handling of particular allergens. The exposure to toxins like dioxin can cause serious health problems for people. Having long-term exposure to this toxin is connected to weakening of the immune system, as well as the nervous system, endocrine system and certain reproductive functions. Hence, everyone has a particular level and exposure of dioxins in the body. Improving air quality is the key answer to avoiding any type of development of disease, but it is a long term goal that will require the help and commitment at the national and global level.
World Health Organisation (WHO) (2014, March). Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/