INDOOR AIR QUALITY INDEX AND CHRONIC HEALTH DISEASE: A PILOT STUDY

Rajbala Soni, Rajesh Dhankar, Vikram Mor

Abstract: Approximately about 2 million premature deaths per year in developing countries by indoor pollution this is estimated by WHO (2006). Indoor activities (cooking, smoking, incense, mosquitoes coil and others), building characteristics and outdoor climatic conditions have affected indoor air quality environment. Especially young and unemployed people spend about 90% of their times in indoor environment so, air quality index (AQI) is now becomes the essential task for determine the quality of indoor homes. Indoor air quality index concern to pollutant concentration. AQI = 1/3 [SPM/SSPM + SO2/SSO2 + NOx/SNOx ] x 100. More will be the value of AQI more hazardous will be the quality. One of the most important parameter for indoor air quality is particulate matter (PM2.5) and due to long exposure to particulate matters may lead to mortality. Women and children are mainly affected by indoor pollution because they spend more time in homes as compare to others. So, increased the respiratory symptoms, decreased the lung function, increased lung cancer incidence, cardiovascular mortality and accelerated artherosclerosis and vascular inflammation all these ill effects mainly observed in women’s and infants.

Keywords: Indoor air quality, air quality index, vulnerable group, indoor pollution, acute respiratory infection.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2013.0212048