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WHO launches first indoor air quality guidelines on indoor chemicals
The WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected pollutants are the result of contributions from over 60 leading experts worldwide to a WHO/Europe-coordinated project. They present for the first time evidence and guidance to protect health globally from the impact of nine indoor chemicals.
Hazardous substances emitted from buildings, construction materials and indoor equipment or due to human activities such as fuel combustion for cooking or heating, lead to a broad range of health problems and may even be fatal.
The Guidelines recommend targets for indoor air quality at which the health risks are significantly reduced and provide a scientific basis for legally enforceable standards in all regions of the world. The application of these guidelines in policy development should lead to a substantial decline of indoor exposures and related health effects.
The nine substances considered in these Guidelines were selected based on the existence of their indoor sources, the availability of evidence on their health effects, and their common presence in concentrations of health concern.
This volume follows the one on dampness and mould and anticipates that on household fuels combustion.
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