Themed collection Indoor Air Quality

Editors-in-Chief Neil Donahue and Kristopher McNeill, and Daniel Korbel and Hannah Macdonald from the RSC's Policy and Evidence team, introduce the themed issue on indoor air quality.

Much of the ozone that enters buildings reacts with human skin oils, both on occupants and on other surfaces. Products of these reactions influence human chemical exposures.

Acetaldehyde is ubiquitous in the atmosphere. The relevant sources and the concentrations occurring indoors are discussed and evaluated on the basis of health-related criteria and guide values.

PTR m/z 69.07 commonly attributed to isoprene suffers interference from C₅–C₁₀ aldehydes indoors, especially when ozone is present. The contribution of nonanal could be quantified by using the protonated molecular ion, unlike the other aldehydes.

The effect of humidity on organic hydroperoxide (ROOH) removal from air to real indoor surface films was investigated. A novel flow reactor for studying uptake kinetics of indoor pollutants on indoor materials is introduced.

Online gas- and particle-phase measurements in a commercial kitchen reveal exposure risks and outdoor air impacts during cooking and cleaning.

High levels of reactive chemicals may be emitted to the indoor air during household surface cleaning, leading to poorer air quality and potential health hazards.

Second and third hand exposure to cannabis smoke is predicted to lead to THC concentrations exceeding impaired driving laws in adults and toddlers, but enhanced ventilation and particle filtration are effective mitigation measures.

A robust and quantitative instrument that measures total gas-phase reactive nitrogen (tN_r) has been developed for indoor air quality surveys. It can focus on NO_x, HONO, and NH₃ levels indoors, from the complete tN_r budget, on timescales of 5–20 min.

Domestic cooking is critical for release of particulate matter (PM) in indoor environments. This study tested low-cost sensors to assess PM from cooking in student studio flats for different cooking methods and to establish the impact of extractors.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is crucial for the wellbeing of university students. Yet, IAQ in student residences is highly variable and challenging to monitor. This work is the first to monitor IAQ in student residence with a low-cost sensor network.

Cleaning surfaces with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) bleach can lead to high levels of gaseous chlorine (Cl₂) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl); these have high oxidative capacities and are linked to respiratory issues.

Low-cost sensor analysis of indoor air quality.

Human presence can affect indoor air quality because of secondary organic compounds formed upon reactions between gaseous oxidant species, e.g., ozone (O₃), hydroxyl radicals (OH), and chemical compounds from skin, exhaled breath, hair and clothes.

Ozone chemistry taking place on indoor surfaces is predicted to increase inhalation exposure of reactive oxygen species in indoor aerosols.

Heating cooking oils at high temperatures emits aerosols in the fine and ultrafine size ranges as well as a variety of volatile organic compounds that could have implications on both indoor as well as outdoor air quality.