Concentrations of indoor air pollutants in Irish and Scottish homes where open combustion takes place

Indoor air pollution (IAP) from burning biomass fuels is a major contributor to health burden in developing countries and studies have suggested links to a variety of chronic health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease (Fullerton et al 2009; Kurmi et al 2010). IAP concentrations found in homes in the developed world are likely to be less due to better ventilation and control measures. While there are many studies examining determinants of indoor air pollutants (Monn et al 1997; Pekey et al, 2010; Larsson et al, 2004), there is little systematic information on the effect of open combustion and use of solid fuels for cooking and heating in domestic homes in developed countries. This information is needed to qualify the health burden that arises from IAP in domestic settings. Certain pollutants are more dominant, depending on the fuel type used. Increased levels of NO2 have been associated with the use of gas burning appliances (Dennekamp et al, 2001; GarciaAlgar et al, 2004), while elevated concentrations of NO2 and CO are the principle pollutants associated with the use of woodburning appliances (Naeher et al, 2007). While recent smokefree legislation in many countries has improved indoor air quality at work and in enclosed public spaces, there remains a need to begin the process of quantifying the health burden that arises from IAP within domestic environments in the developed world. The data presented here are from part 1 of a 2 part study on Indoor Air Pollution and Health (IAPAH). IAP measurements were used in part 2 to estimate the health burden attributable to exposure to IAP from open combustion within the home (Shafrir et al., 2011).