2022 article
Why Indoor Chemistry Matters: A National Academies Consensus Report
Habre, R., Dorman, D. C., Abbatt, J., Bahnfleth, W. P., Carter, E., Farmer, D., … Harries, M. E. (2022, August 2). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 56, pp. 10560–10563.
author keywords: air pollution; air quality; indoor environmental quality; chemical exposure; collaborative research; research agenda
MeSH headings : Air Pollutants / analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor / analysis; Consensus; Environmental Monitoring
open access via www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (repository)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being
(Web of Science)
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 29, 2022
W spend most of our time indoors, and the indoor environment is the greatest contributor to human chemical exposures. Despite its importance, our understanding of indoor chemicals is more limited than that for the outdoor environment. A recent report of the US National Academies helps answer a 2-fold question: why does indoor chemistry matter, and what is needed to advance our scientific understanding of indoor chemistry? Indoor chemistry is dynamic and complex. Thousands of chemicals are found indoors in air, particles, dust, and surfaces, often at concentrations exceeding those found outdoors. Sources can be primary or secondary, continuous or episodic, and of indoor or outdoor origin (Figure 1). Humans modify indoor chemistry through cooking and the use of personal care products and are a primary source of chemicals in the gas and particle phases. Indoors, chemicals partition between air, airborne particles, dust, water, and surfaces. These surfaces act as primary sources and chemical sinks or reservoirs. Partitioning results in both the removal and release of chemicals from surfaces. Partitioning does not occur instantaneously and may require years to achieve pseudoequilibrium due to the slow rates of molecular transport. Equilibrium conditions change over time and respond to changes in relative humidity, temperature, and other environ-