Masters Thesis Abstract: Carly Sluys
Indoor air pollution: A study of individual exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide
Clean air is a basic condition for good health. Air pollution aggravates respiratory problems and leads to an increase in sickness absenteeism, the use of health care services and premature mortality. The need to understand where and how people are exposed is important and has been extensively studied.
The increased awareness of the poor quality of indoor air compared with outdoor air has resulted in a significant amount of research on the mechanism of indoor air. Indoor air contains a complex mixture of chemical, biological and physical pollutants. Depending on factors such as pollutant concentration and sensitivity of occupants, exposure to these may result in a number of adverse health effects. The health effects of air pollution are dependent on the concentration experienced by an individual and not that of a stationary air quality monitor outside. The ambient air quality guidelines created to protect the individual, are not completely relevant as the relationship between individual exposure and ambient air has not been well defined.
Many pollutants can affect indoor air. Nitrogen Dioxide is one of these and has been the focus of many studies. There is considerable evidence linking nitrogen dioxide exposure to ill health. The need to find how the individual is exposed is vital. A number of factors can influence the level of nitrogen dioxide in the home. The main sources of nitrogen dioxide are combustion processes, particularly gas cookers and unflued heating appliances.
As a population, students are considered to be in the lower socio economic category. The status of their financial situation influences their access to heating and what standard of housing they will be living in. They are more likely to use gas as a heating source due to its inexpensiveness in comparison with ‘cleaner’ forms of heating, such as electricity, and live in a low standard of housing.
The main aim of this research is to assess a student’s individual exposure to nitrogen dioxide, and to what extent this is affected by heating type. Other aspects will also be studied, how nitrogen dioxide levels within the home change, if there will be a difference between the lounge/living room and the bedroom, if there is a relationship between the outdoor and indoor levels of nitrogen dioxide, and if housing standard has an impact on an individual’s exposure.