Generally, indoor air quality (IAQ) is related to pollution level and condition of indoor environment. The status of indoor air quality is commonly based on physical condition, chemical and biological pollution. A set of factors, such as outdoor air quality, weather and climate, building design and operation, ventilation system, source of contaminants and types of activities and occupant’s behavior define it.
There are four components, which must present for a problem to exist, namely contaminants as the source of concern, ventilation system, pollutant’s pathways or air flow occupants of the building as the user exposed to the indoor environment. Improvement of one or more of these components can cause dramatic changes in the types of problems that may occur.
In the recent decades, indoor air quality related issues have become more critical since people spend 70 to 90 % of their time indoors. The main concern of indoor air quality problems is the negative impact to occupant’s health, comfort and productivity, which further become important economic force considerations.Health and Indoor Air Quality
Nowadays people spend longer hours inside their office and less time in the outdoor. Although this does not mean that indoor exposure will create harmful health effects, research has shown evidences of higher indoor pollutants concentration compared to those typically detected at the outside environment.
Concern of health effects due to poor indoor air quality has been increasing worldwide. In Singapore, it is also a new concern addressed by many parties in the building and construction industry as well as authorities and researchers. Although there are no major problems due to IAQ, some symptoms and illnesses that can be attributed to indoor air condition and non-industrial pollution are commonly found.
The possibility that an individual will experience health related problems due to presence of pollutants very much depends on factors, such as individual sensitivity to that contaminant, the contaminant concentration in a given air volume, vicinity to the accumulated or radiated pollutant, the current state of physical health and psychological, duration and frequency of exposure.
For more information on Indoor air quality testing methods, please visit http://www.iaqsg.com or call us at +65 9221 9221.
