Reducing indoor air pollution

No single strategy on indoor air quality has been applied throughout the European region. The involvement of health and environmental authorities is often limited, and most countries do not have specific legislation on indoor air quality. Evidence is accumulating of the severe effect of environmental tobacco smoke on children, a matter of particular concern for indoor air quality.

Indoor air quality affects the entire population, including residents of rural areas. Improving indoor air quality may require countrywide strategies, although the specific features of the urban and rural environments should be considered. The materials selected for building construction and furnishings, as well as the consumer products used indoors, should not adversely affect indoor air quality. Reducing the health risks related to indoor air pollution requires that occupants modify their lifestyles (such as in relation to tobacco smoking).

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

Agenda 21 recommends supporting research and developing programmes for applying prevention and control methods to reducing indoor air pollution, including economic incentives for the installation of appropriate technology.