Indoor pollutant levels inside can be anywhere from two to five times higher and sometimes as much as 100 times more polluted than outside air.[3]
News/Info contents:
More than 10 years have passed since the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental threats to public health and one of the largest remaining health risks in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common actual causes of death in the US in 2000 were tobacco (435,000), microbial agents (such as influenza and pneumonia, 75,000), and toxic agents (such as pollutants and asbestos, 55,000).[1] Also, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in 2000 noted that 50 percent of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by poor indoor air quality (IAQ).[2]
In recognition of the broad impact indoor environments have on health and productivity, the term indoor environmental quality (IEQ) also is used along with indoor air quality and in some quarters replaces indoor air quality altogether. The primary difference is IEQ refers not only to the quality of the indoor air, but also to noise, lighting, and interior room temperature and humidity (environmental control) � in short, anything that can affect the indoor environment.
Since the mid-1990s, there has been substantial progress in raising awareness about the health impacts of poor IAQ, especially in schools and healthcare facilities. State legislators also are paying more attention to IAQ. In addition, homeowners are focusing more on the importance of good IAQ for their families� well being as are owners and managers of multi-family residential buildings; but, there is still much more to do.
Within the commercial building market, for example, the economic return on investing in good IAQ remains a tough sell, despite clear indications from a number of sectors that workplace IAQ is a critical issue. Indoor air quality also continues to be a major issue in the hospitality (hotels, motels, casinos, and food establishments � restaurants and food stores) and the travel (airline) industries. Businesses are trying to balance the cost of good IAQ with heading off potential lawsuits from employees and customers.
Now, with the invention of personal IAQ devices offered by Hi Tech Health, individuals can take control of the quality of the air they breath indoors. To find out more about these products, send us an email.
Consider these facts:
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Indoor pollutant levels inside can be anywhere from two to five times higher and sometimes as much as 100 times more polluted than outside air.[3] |
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The National Academy of Sciences estimates that 15 percent of Americans experience symptoms from indoor air pollution. An official with the EPA in Washington, DC thinks that about 40 percent of the population experiences one or more symptoms weekly as a result of exposure to poor IAQ in buildings.[4] |
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More than 60 percent of all hospitality facilities in the US (restaurants, lodging, bars and casinos) have poor indoor environmental quality.[5] |
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Twenty percent of the US population � nearly 55 million people � occupy elementary and secondary schools either as teachers, students or staff. In the mid-1990s, results of studies showed that one in five of 110,000 schools in the US reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality, and one in four schools reported ventilation, which affects IAQ, as unsatisfactory.[6] |
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In the US, an estimated 20.3 million Americans have asthma, including 6.3 million children.[6] The World Health Organization reported in 2000 that between 100 million and 150 million people around the world � roughly the equivalent of the population of the Russian Federation � have asthma and this number is increasing. Worldwide, deaths from asthma have reached more than 180,000 annually. In the US, the number of people with asthma has increased by more than 60 percent since 1980.[7] |
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In the US, asthma accounts for an estimated 14.5 million lost workdays annually for people over 18 years of age. The annual direct health care costs of asthma are approximately $9.4 billion; indirect costs (such as lost productivity) add another $4.6 billion, for a total of $14 billion dollars. In addition, in 2000, there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly 500,000 hospitalizations, at a cost of almost $2 billion, causing 14 million school days to be missed each year.[8] |
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In a wider context, the annual economic costs of common respiratory illnesses (reported in 1996 US dollars) are 180 million lost workdays; 120 million additional days of restricted activity; approximately $36 billion ($140 per person) in health care costs and approximately $70 billion ($270 per person) total cost.[9-11] Click here for more about the economic impact of poor IEQ. |
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A national public opinion survey of 1,000 full-time workers reported that 95 percent of those interviewed ranked the quality of air at work as very or somewhat important � only 3 percent said it was not important. In another of this same series of surveys conducted quarterly from 2000 to 2002, more than 80 percent of homeowners believed that the IAQ at home is very important, and more than 60 percent of people with children living at home would spend discretionary income on products or services to improve IAQ in their homes.[12] |
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CDC Fact Sheet: Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta, Georgia. March 15, 2004.
Abu-Shalback, L. The impact of IAQ. Appliance. 57(6) pg. 53. June 1, 2000.
US Environmental Protection Agency. Indoor Air Quality and Work Environment Study, Volume IV. Research Triangle Park, NC. June 1991.
Winter, J, Home, Sick home: indoor air pollution is definitely something to sneeze at. Rocky Mountain News. July 11, 2000, page 3D. Denver Publishing Company. Denver, Colorado.
Dorgan, C. IAQ investment: a safe bet. Engineered Systems. April 30, 2003. Visited March 23, 2004.
Air � Indoor Air Quality. US Environmental Protection Agency. Washington, DC. Visited March 24, 2004.
Bronchial Asthma, Fact Sheet N 206. World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. January 2000.
American Lung Association� Fact Sheet: Asthma in Adults. American Lung Association, New York, New York. March 2003.
Fisk, WJ. 2000. Estimates of potential nationwide productivity and health benefits from better indoor environments: an update. IN: Indoor Air Quality Handbook, Chapter 4. Eds John D. Spengler, Jonathan M. Samet , John F. McCarthy. McGraw Hill. New York, New York. 2000.
Fisk, WJ, Rosenfeld AH. 1997. Estimates of improved productivity and health from better indoor environments. Indoor Air �97 7: 158-172.
Kumar S. and Fisk, WJ. 2002. The Role of Emerging Energy Efficient Technology in Promoting Workplace Productivity and Health: Final Report. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. February 13, 2002, pp. 20-21.
Chelsea Group, Ltd. Press release: People are willing to spend money to improve indoor air quality. Itasca, Illinois. July 31, 2000.
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Last updated: 11/07