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Indoor Air

An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Respirable Particles

Basic Information on Pollutants and Sources of Indoor Air Pollution

Read "Care for Your Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality"

Care for Your Air

Sources of respirable particles include fireplaces, wood stoves, and kerosene heaters. See also stoves, heaters, fireplaces, and chimneys, and Environmental tobacco smoke.

Health Effects

Eye, nose, and throat irritation; respiratory infections and bronchitis; lung cancer.

Levels in Homes

Particle levels in homes without smoking or other strong particle sources are the same as, or lower than, outdoor levels.

Steps to Reduce Exposure to Respirable Particles

  • Vent all furnaces to outdoors; keep doors to rest of house open when using unvented space heaters.
     
  • Choose properly sized woodstoves, certified to meet EPA emission standards; make certain that doors on all woodstoves fit tightly.
     
  • Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up central heating system (furnace, flues, and chimneys) annually.  Repair any leaks properly.
     
  • Change filters on central heating and cooling systems and air cleaners according to manufacturer's directions.
     
  • Visit EPA's Burnwise site at www.epa.gov/burnwise

Additional Resources

Cookstoves

The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg addressed the increased environmental health risk faced by more than 2 billion people in the developing world who burn traditional biomass fuels indoors for cooking and heating. According to the World Health Organization, their increased exposure results in an estimated 1.6 million premature deaths each year, largely among women and children. The mission of the Partnership is to improve health, livelihood, and quality of life by reducing exposure to air pollution, primarily among women and children, from household energy use. Read more about Cookstoves.

EPA's Burnwise Program logo
Burnwise: Learn Before You Burn www.epa.gov/burnwise

For more information on wood smoke and health effects, visit: www.epa.gov/burnwise/healtheffects.html and join on Facebook: www.facebook.com/epaburnwise

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