Most time spent inside, but little research is done on indoor air pollution, says scientist

Most of the air that we breathe is while we are inside, yet research on indoor air pollution is surprisingly lacking, according to a UCD physicist, Dr James P. McLaughlin.

We spend most of our life in buildings of some sort, but science concentrates on outdoor air pollution, evaluating the extent of it and implementing measures to control it, he told an Irish Meteorological Society lecture to mark Science Week.

A member of an EU expert group, European Concerted Action on indoor air quality, Dr McLaughlin said it was evaluating the full extent of pollutants within the indoor "climate". The group is also working with the World Health Organisation on air-quality guidelines for Europe.

The pollutants include various chemicals with volatile organic compounds exhaled from adhesives, glues and resins in furniture and carpets. Biological material can cause problems, too, such as house dust-mite excrement, which can trigger an allergic reaction; animal dander, which are tiny scales of skin and hair; and particles occurring when saliva dries and becomes airborne. These contain strong allergens resulting in difficulties for susceptible asthmatics.

His area of research is radon, a natural radioactive gas emitted from the Earth which can become trapped in buildings. It is not peculiar to Ireland, but related to local geology, notably granite areas. With the help of new building regulations, significant reductions were being achieved.

Indoor pollutants can build up and result in what is known as "sick building syndrome", where a large number of people in a building show effects such as increased eye irritation, nasal passage problems and dryness of the throat, which ease when absent from the building. The syndrome is well documented and not considered an illusion.

On whether there was more indoor air pollution now, he said it was more to do with different problems today. Fifty years ago it was draughts in buildings. They were now well sealed, with double glazing and various energy conservation measures. These in themselves were good but "the usual air exchange is not taking place; the air is not as refreshed as it should be".

Therefore, if air pollutants were present, they were more likely to build-up, though many modern buildings were designed with good ventilation. But Dr McLaughlin noted many others had little ventilation beyond the possibility of opening a window.

In Ireland many research institutions were carrying out work on individual pollutants such as environmental tobacco smoke and organic vapours. Such research should be pooled to get an overview, which could yield communal remedies for indoor air pollution.