“The air within: reviewing the sources and health effects of indoor air pollution in households”

Air pollution in the interior of our homes is caused by diverse chemical, physical, and biological entities. This review comprehensively explores the current understanding of sources and health impacts of gaseous and particulate pollutants. Trend analysis of indoor air research worldwide revealed a quantum jump of 2.8 times in the number of publications during the last ten years. Indoor air pollutants are innumerable, but only a few are widely prevalent in most households. The qualitative complexity of pollutants translates to different health problems, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and deaths. There exist wide-scale disparities in the negative impacts among different economic strata, genders, and age groups; children and elderly populations are more vulnerable. In developing countries, pollutants primarily arise from traditional sources, whereas in developed countries, pollutants from non-conventional sources are comparatively significant. Only a few countries have indoor air regulations, policies, monitoring plans and effective enforcement.