Most people spend over 90 percent of their time indoors, in their homes, offices, cars, and stores. Studies show that U. S. residents spend almost 65 percent of their time inside their homes.

Although most people associate exposure to pollutants with the outdoor environment, in fact the indoor environment usually has higher contaminant levels and provides more immediate and prolonged exposure to pollutants.

Exposure to contaminants originates from the myriad indoor materials, consumer products, cosmetics, combustion sources (such as unvented cooking and heating appliances), and personal activities (such as smoking) in the home. As the comic strip character Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

For nearly two decades Battelle has investigated and researched indoor air contaminants. The focus has been on pinpointing emission sources, developing emission reduction approaches, monitoring personal exposure, and detecting exposure pathways. Most recently, Tom Kelly of Battelle’s Atmospheric Science and Applied Technology Department presented a talk at the “Indoor Air Quality: Risk Reduction for the 21st Century” symposium. The symposium generated ideas and action in improving indoor air quality, especially as it relates to the health of children. Dr. Kelly’s talk, “Indoor Source Controls: Preventing and Reducing Emissions,” drew upon Battelle’s indoor air quality experience and contaminant reduction approaches for building materials, personal products, and combustion sources.

Battelle continually works to develop innovative methods to reduce air contamination. Some approaches such as low-emitting gas burners, use of alternative products, and modification of product use are some recent Battelle developments.

Additionally, Battelle’s personal exposure monitoring has included studies of the pathways by which children are exposed to pesticides and organic chemicals in house dust, food, and air. Monitoring of human breath composition has been used to document exposures to chlorinated organic chemicals in the workplace and at home. In some cases, methods of measuring indoor contaminants have had to be developed. Examples of Battelle’s results in this area include: rapid breath analysis by mass spectrometry; a quiet, high-volume indoor sampler for particles in air; a small, fast-response monitor for nitrogen dioxide and its reaction products in indoor air; and application of optical and mass spectrometric methods to real-time monitoring of indoor contaminants.

For more information on how Battelle’s experience and expertise can help address your indoor air quality issues, please contact Mike Holdren at (614) 424-5307, via e-mail at holdren@battelle.org or Tom Kelly at (614) 424-3495, via e-mail at kellyt@battelle.org.