Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

1 Introduction
Pages 17-32

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 17...
... Many exposures that are potentially hazardous to health are exposures to substances emitted indoors from indoor sources. Such emissions can occur from building materials; from products used or stored indoors; from processes that occur in indoor environments; from the microorganisms, insects, other animals, and plants that live indoors; and from the behavior of building occupants.
From page 18...
... There is a body of literature on how the indoor environment influences occupant health and how the external environment influences the internal built environment under past and present climate conditions. And research is emerging on the possible effects of climate change -- such as extreme temperatures and thermal stress, vectorborne infectious diseases, and outdoor air quality -- on human health.
From page 19...
... EPA indicated that it intended the report to serve as the foundation for the development of US government funding priorities and for use in communications to and guidance for the public. THE COMMITTEE'S APPROACH TO ITS TASK To answer the questions posed by EPA, the committee undertook a wide-ranging evaluation of relevant research on climate change, buildings, indoor environmental quality, and occupant health.
From page 20...
... The committee also relied on the research and conclusions of prior National Academies committees that addressed indoor environment and health issues. The 2004 IOM report Damp Indoor Spaces and Health and the 2006 National Research Council report Green Schools: Attributes for Health and Learning (NRC, 2006)
From page 21...
... And the health effects associated with prolonged exposure to temperature extremes is relatively well studied. However, little published research links climate change to changes in levels of indoor air pollutants or to other changes in indoor environmental conditions that might influence public health.
From page 22...
... Three classes of factors govern conditions in occupied indoor environments. The first pertains to the adverse exposures themselves and includes such factors as the outdoor level and, in some cases, the physical properties of the agent.
From page 23...
... In fact, a main purpose for ventilating buildings is to remove indoor-generated pollutants, including those emitted by human occupants. In general, higher ventilation rates cause indoor environmental quality to become more like local outdoor environmental quality.
From page 24...
... For example, office buildings in the United States are commonly ventilated mechanically whereas the existing stock of residential buildings is ventilated mainly by a combination of air leakage (infiltration) and natural ventilation through open windows or doors.
From page 25...
... For some pollutants and for some buildings, other removal processes can be important, such as deposition of particles onto indoor surfaces, irreversible reaction of a pollutant with an indoor surface, or active filtration. Buildings are ventilated so that the replacement time of indoor air with outdoor air occurs on a time scale that is typically a few hours but may range from about 5 min, in the case of a mechanically ventilated building using an economizer or a building with open doors and windows, to about
From page 26...
... In general, the key elements that help to ensure good IEQ are indoor source control; adequate ventilation; and proper management of indoor environmental conditions through temperature and humidity control and, where appropriate, the use of air filtration, air cleaning, or other mechanisms to achieve further improvements. The central principle is to remove pollutants where they are more highly concentrated, to supply clean air where people need it, and to maintain comfortable environmental conditions for building occupants.
From page 27...
... provides an overview of past, present, and future climate change, including its causes and its impacts; and recommends steps to advance our current understanding, including new observations, research programs, next-generation models, and the physical and human assets needed to support these and other activities. The report focuses on the scientific advances needed both to improve the understanding of the integrated human-climate system and to devise more effective responses to climate change.
From page 28...
... Among these, Advancing the Science of Climate Change addresses the issues most closely related to this report. Although it does not mention the indoors specifically, it does devote chapters to both public health and cities and built environment, and briefly touches on energy efficiency improvements.
From page 29...
... They include the elements of climate-change research most relevant to the indoor environment, how the outdoor environment affects conditions indoors, how the indoor environment affects health, and the amount of time that people spend indoors. The chapter also addresses populations that are particularly vulnerable to health problems associated with the indoor environment.
From page 30...
... The discussion in this chapter builds on a set of major literature reviews, including the IOM report Damp Indoor Spaces and Health (IOM, 2004) , highlighting their findings and other research relevant to the consideration of the health effects of alterations in IEQ induced by climate change.
From page 31...
... 2010c. Describing socioeconomic futures for climate change research and assessment: Report of a workshop.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.