Indoor air quality standards

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. This web site will educate the public about indoor environmental issues, including health risks and the means by which human exposures can be reduced. Whether you live in an apartment, townhome or single family home, an old home or are building a new home, there are many ways to protect and improve your indoor air quality. Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are a primary cause of indoor air quality problems in.

EPA IAQ Standards and Guidelines Air quality is paramount for people’s well-being, as well as the environment.

Poor air quality, both indoors and outdoors, can lead to numerous adverse health problems, such as nausea, headaches, skin irritation, sick building syndrome, kidney failure, and even cancer. Specifies minimum ventilation rates and IAQ that will be acceptable to human occupants to minimize the potential for adverse health effects. What is indoor air quality ? It can include temperature, humidity, lack of outside air (poor ventilation), mold from water damage, or exposure to other chemicals.

It is not a standard or regulation, and it neither creates new legal obligations nor alters existing obligations created by OSHA standards or the Occupational Safety and Health Act. In classrooms, the requirements in the ASHRAE standard 62. Of course the occupants are not the only source of pollutants, so outdoor air ventilation may need to be higher when unusual or strong sources of pollution exist indoors.

Same Testing The Professionals Use! Air Purifiers with Next Generation HEPA Filtration. The ozone standard applies only to devices that produce ozone as a waste product.

EPA’s Regional Offices work closely with Headquarters to manage agency programs at the State, Tribal, and local level. For information on indoor air quality specific to your State, Tribe, or EPA Regional office, select the appropriate link from the list or map below. They provide a scientific basis for legally enforceable standards. Our mission is to identify and study public health problems related to indoor environments, support the development of solutions to those problems, and ultimately promote. The most effective engineering control for prevention of indoor air quality problems is assuring an adequate supply of fresh outdoor air through natural or mechanical ventilation.

Consumer Product Safety Commission, the EPA and other federal government agencies may help by making sure our products are safe to use indoors and our manufacturing and energy plants are controlling emissions, regulation of indoor air standards often falls to the states. Indoor air quality standards establish acceptable thresholds for indoor pollutants, like cigarette smoke. IEQ is determined by many factors, including lighting, air quality , and damp conditions. Workers are often concerned that they have. The guidelines recommend exposure limits for contaminants that affect indoor air quality.

Indoor Air Quality Standards Learn how you can help improve your air and protect your employees. Our health is improved and protected when we identify and reduce sources of indoor air pollutants.

Note: This page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The free Adobe Reader may be required to view these files. Establishing legally binding concentration-based standards of indoor air quality requires, inter alia, determination of the methods for enforcement of the regulation, including compliance testing. This poses difficulties for the use of standards as a means of reducing the effects on health of indoor exposure to air pollutants.

The distinct perspectives of the two agencies are reflected in this document. Properly maintaining HVAC systems and keeping vents unblocked will allow proper ventilation throughout the building and reduce airborne contaminants. OSHA suggests that a proactive approach be taken to address IAQ concerns. Failure to respond expeditiously and effectively to IAQ concerns can. The WHO air quality guidelines offer guidance on reducing the effects on health of air pollution.

This book presents revised guideline values for the four most common air pollutants - particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide - based on a review of the accumulated scientific evidence.