Indoor Pollution, Human Health and Technology

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Indoor Pollution, Human Health and Technology

• Wendy Geise
• ESP 6130 Science and Technology for Environmental
  Security
• May 15, 2006

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Overview

• Why should we care about indoor pollution?
• Categories of indoor pollution
• Health impacts
• Solutions and suggestions (some technical, some
  not)

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Why should we be concerned about indoor pollution?
World Health Reports estimates of death and
ill-health (DALYs) from leading risk factors in
the year 2000
Source Smith 2000
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There are four principal categories of indoor
pollution

• Combustion Products
• Chemicals
• Radon
• Biological

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Combustion generated pollutants are a major issue
in developing countries

• Half the worlds population and 90 of rural
  households rely on unprocessed biomass including
  wood, dung and crop residues
• Indoor concentrations of particles can be 10-100
  times higher than US EPA guidelines for daily
  exposures
• Women and children exposed 3-7 hours per day over
  many years
• Increases risk of pulmonary and respiratory
  disease - leading cause of death in children
  under 5 years
• Additional association to low birth weights, TB,
  throat cancers, cataract and lung cancer (from
  coal)

Source World Health Organization 2000
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Africa and Asia are the most highly impacted
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The estimated cost to improve indoor pollution in
developing countries is 2.5 billion

• China has implemented over 200 million stoves to
  reduce indoor pollution
• Kenya and Sri Lanka nearly 1 million each

Source Practical Action 2006
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Indoor exposure to chemical sources is a concern
in developed countries

• 80,000 chemicals compounds being made worldwide
• US EPA approves 2,000 additional each year
• 80 approved in less than 3 weeks
• Less than 10 have been tested for human and
  environmental safety
• 43 lack basic toxicity data
• Researchers estimate 5-10 of chemicals in
  production could be carcinogenic
• EPA study found indoor exposures to carcinogenic
  substances 5-70 times higher than outdoors, some
  levels were high enough to qualify as a Superfund
  site

Source Naturally Clean 2005
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Chemical sources are found throughout the modern
house
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What are the human impacts?

• Accumulation in fat cells, muscles, bones, brains
  and organ tissues
• Body burden - According to EPA, every man, woman
  and child in US has at least 700 pollutants in
  their bodies
• Forty-four percent of men and thirty-nine percent
  of women will get cancer in their lives 24
  increase in 30 years
• Women who work in the home have 55 higher risk
  of cancer and respiratory disease than women who
  work outside the home (Sterling 2001).
  Researchers have found that many chemicals in
  household cleaners cause hormone disruption (new
  area of study)
• Exposure to VOCs linked to higher rates of
  asthma
• Total indoor hydrocarbon concentration
  significantly related to sick building syndrome
  (Norback, 1990)
• 15-30 of Americans report sensitivity or allergy
  like conditions from exposure to chemicals
• New condition called Multiple Chemical
  Sensitivities from a single high exposure event
  or repeated low-level exposure to chemicals
  affects 5 of population

Source Naturally Clean 2005
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Recent legislative proposals suggest a more
precautionary approach

• Current lax regulations allow chemicals to be
  released into the environment and routinely used
  in consumer products on the assumption that they
  cause no harm
• REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization
  of Chemicals) in EU
• Assess the estimated 100,000 chemicals currently
  on the European market
• It will permit the continued use of these most
  hazardous chemicals even if a safer alternative
  is available.
• US Child, Worker and Consumer Safe Chemicals Act
  2005 proposed legislation following REACH in EU
  
• Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
  Management (SAICM), the initiative is a voluntary
  UN agreement that deals with risk assessments of
  chemicals and standardized labeling 2006
• Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic substances
  (PBTs)
• Very Persistent and Very Bioaccumulative
  substances (vPvB)
• Chemicals that are carcinogens or mutagens or
  adversely effect reproductive, endocrine, immune
  or nervous system, including all forms of
  asbestos
• Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
• Mercury and other metals of global concern

Source EurActiv 2000-2005
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Exposure to radon is also greater indoors

• Radon is an odorless gas that comes from natural
  breakdown of uranium in nearly all soils
• It can also be found in well water
• 2005 - The Surgeon General of the United States
  issued a Health Advisory warning Americans about
  the health risk from exposure to radon in indoor
  air
• Two studies show definitive evidence of an
  association between residential radon exposure
  and lung cancer. 
• The World Health Organization (WHO) says radon
  causes up to 15 of lung cancers worldwide
• Smokers have higher risks
• US EPA suggests all homes should be tested for
  radon

Source US EPA
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Trained contractors can be hired for radon
mitigation

• Vent/pipe system and fan are installed to pull
  radon gas from beneath the house and disperse
  outside the home
• Foundation cracks are sealed
• Costs range from 800 to 2500 for contractor to
  install

Source EPA Radon Citizens Guide
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Homes also can contain many biological
contaminants

• Types
• Bacteria
• Mold/Mildew
• Viruses
• Animal dander
• Dust mites
• Pollen

• Health Effects
• Allergic reactions
• Asthma
• Infectious disease
• Disease causing mycotoxins from molds and mildews

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Steps to control indoor biological contaminants

• Maintain relative humidity between 30 - 50 year
  round (whole house air purifier/dehumidifiers
  cost up to 2200)
• Install and use exhaust fans that are vented to
  the outdoors in kitchens and bathrooms and vent
  clothes dryers outdoor
• Ventilate the attic and crawl spaces to prevent
  moisture build-up
•  
• Thoroughly clean and dry water-damaged carpets
  and building materials (within 24 hours if
  possible) or consider removal and replacement
• House dust mites, pollens, animal dander, and
  other allergy-causing agents can be reduced,
  although not eliminated, through regular
  cleaning  
• People who are allergic to these pollutants
  should use allergen-proof mattress encasements,
  wash bedding in hot (130Â F) water, and avoid
  room furnishings that accumulate dust, especially
  if they cannot be washed in hot water
• Take steps to minimize biological pollutants in
  basements

Source US EPA
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The basic strategy for controlling indoor
pollution

• Source control
• Ventilation improvements
• Air cleaners
• Activated carbon (removes some but not all VOCs,
  gases)
• HEPA filtration (developed by Atomic Energy
  Commission to remove radiation particles from
  nuclear labs)
• Most effective is a combination HEPA/Activated
  carbon

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Questions?