The 101 of indoor air pollution | EEB

Moisture, mould and microbes in our homes and workplaces take their toll on air quality, as do problem particles blowing in or created inside. Most indoor air pollution though is chemical.

Hundreds of more and less volatile chemical compounds buzz their way out of cleaning products, air fresheners and even furniture, paint, wallpaper, carpets and construction materials and potentially into us. 

That ‘clean home’ or ‘new product’ smell some of us know and love is probably harmful, as is using incense sticks, scented candles or other so-called ‘air fresheners’.

How harmful is hard to say, because very little is known about exposure to chemical components from consumer products via indoor air, and information on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive health threats from long-term exposure is not available for many of the chemicals. 

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