Page 496 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

Heating and cooling ducts
Pollutants: Mold and bacteria
Hot showers with Health risks: Allergies, asthma,
chlorine-treated water respiratory problems
Pollutant: Chloroform Furniture; carpets; foam insulation;
Health risks: Nervous pressed wood
system damage Pollutant: Formaldehyde
Health risks: Respiratory irritation, cancer
Old paint
Pollutant: Lead Leaky or unvented gas and
Health risks: wood stoves and furnaces;
Nervous system car left running in garage
and organ Pollutant: Carbon monoxide
damage Health risks: Neural
impairment,
Fireplaces; fatal at high doses
wood stoves
Pollutant: Particulate Gasoline
matter Pollutant: VOCs
Health risks: Health risks: Cancer
Respiratory problems,
lung cancer

Pipe insulation; floor
and ceiling tiles
Pollutant: Asbetos
Health risks: Asbestosis

Unvented stoves
and heaters
Pollutant: Nitrogen
oxides
Health risks: Respiratory
problems
Pets
Pollutant: Animal dander Tobacco smoke
Health risks: Allergies Pollutants: Many toxic or
carcinogenic compounds
Health risks: Lung cancer,
Pesticides; paints; cleaning fluids respiratory problems
Pollutants: VOCs and others Computers and office
Health risks: Neural or organ equipment
damage, cancer
Pollutant: VOCs
Rocks and soil beneath house Health risks: Irritation, neural or
Pollutant: Radon organ damage, cancer
Health risks: Lung cancer

Figure 17.34 The typical home contains many sources of indoor air pollution. Shown are common
sources, the major pollutants they emit, and some of the health risks they pose. CHAPTER 17 • AT m os PHER i C sC i E n CE , Ai R Qu A li T y, A nd Poll u T i on Con TR ol

a complex mix of dozens of VOCs as they outgas from the Living organisms can pollute
newly manufactured plastic, metal, and leather components
of the car. The smell diminishes with time, but some scientific The most widespread source of indoor air pollution in the
studies warn of health risks from this brew and recommend developed world may be tiny living organisms. Dust mites
that you keep a new car well ventilated. and animal dander can worsen asthma in children. The air-
The implications for human health of chronic exposure borne spores of some fungi, molds, and mildews can cause
to volatile organic compounds are far from clear. Because allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailments. Some
they generally exist in low concentrations and because airborne bacteria can cause infectious disease, including
individuals regularly are exposed to mixtures of many dif- Legionnaires’ disease. Of the estimated 10,000–15,000
ferent types, it is extremely difficult to study the effects of annual U.S. cases of Legionnaires’ disease, 5–15% are fatal.
any one pollutant. An exception is formaldehyde, a VOC Heating and cooling systems in buildings make ideal breed-
that has clear and known health impacts. Widely used in ing grounds for microbes, providing moisture, dust, and foam
pressed wood, insulation, and other products, formaldehyde insulation as substrates, along with air currents to carry the
irritates mucous membranes, induces skin allergies, and organisms aloft.
causes a number of other ailments. The use of plywood has Microbes that induce allergic responses are thought to be
decreased in the last decade because of health concerns over a major cause of building-related illness, a sickness produced
formaldehyde. by indoor pollution. When the cause of such an illness is a 495

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