Clearing the pollution indoors

Indoor air pollution has been considered an emerging environmental health issue. In the last decades substantial work has been carried out to identify and quantify the main indoor air contaminants, to evaluate human exposure and to assess the risk for human health [1,2,3 and Lit. cited therein]. The European Commission with its Environment and Health Action Plan (2004-2010) and the specific action on indoor air quality therein significantly contributed to the understanding of the issue and to initiatives for reducing the pollution indoors. Various projects (INDEX, AIRMEX, ENVIE, BUMA [4a,b,c,d]) financially supported by the European Commission were executed in the last years by European research networks including universities, research centres and industrial partners with the focus on indoor air and human exposure. Results from all these projects/activities clearly demonstrate that combined efforts are needed to create a human friendly indoor environment. To substantially face indoor air pollution there is the need a) to ensure accurate mapping of the pollution indoors in the EU Member States b) to reduce/eliminate indoor pollution sources and c) to integrate all political tools and initiatives available e.g. the Construction Products Directive (CPD), the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD).

KOTZIAS Dimitrios; 

2014-02-03

PARLAR SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS (P S P)

JRC68761

1018-4619,