Multipollutant indoor exposures and health responses; Epidemiological approaches

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Proceedings, Annual Meeting, Air Pollution Control Association; (USA)

OSTI ID:5031184

Stolwijk, J A.J. ^[1]

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1. Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA)

Indoor air contains a wide variety of chemical compounds at concentrations that can vary widely over time and from place to place. Most effects on health associated with many indoor air pollutants have multiple causes, and can occur under various circumstances. The health outcomes may occur very often and so have a high overall impact. Substantial effects may take the forms of annoyance, discomfort and irritation and affect large numbers of people. Indoor air pollutants contribute to total exposures for specific pollutants. In some cases this contribution may be a minor one, as with metals which are most frequently ingested. However, exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCS) are primarily from indoor sources. The design of effective strategies to study the total dose will require knowledge of the level and distribution of each class of pollutants, its sources, and the associated impact on health. Our knowledge of total exposure of the population to each pollutants is seriously limited, and equally serious limitations exist in our knowledge of the health impact of exposure to a single pollutant or to a synergistic effect of exposures to a number of pollutants. The authors discuss how this knowledge may be sought most effectively by modern epidemiological studies.

• OSTI ID: 5031184
• Report Number(s): CONF-870695--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Proceedings, Annual Meeting, Air Pollution Control Association; (USA) Journal Volume: 5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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