Indoor air quality: An issue in movement

Indoor air quality took a real dimension these last years with several actions such as the creation of the observatory of the indoor air quality (OQAI), the priority action in the National Environmental Health Action Plan 1 and 2, the "Grenelle 2" law and the development of specific guidelines for indoor air quality (VGAI). The health issue is strong because the whole population is exposed to pollutants in the atmosphere of the closed environments. The resulting health effects are numerous and very diverse, and, for most of them, not specific of the detected pollutants. The impacts of environmental tobacco smoke, radon and carbon monoxide are well known, as well as the problems of allergy and asthma. Besides recent studies have established a link between a poor indoor air quality and a decline of performances in schools and at work. Elaboration of indoor air guidelines values became strongly required and was conducted by Afsset. After a prioritisation phase having identified 11 pollutants, the method consisted, for each pollutant, in analyzing the robustness of the available national and supranational VGAI and VTRso as to select the most appropriate. Several VGAI were proposed according to the exposure duration and to the type of health effects. These VGAI based on health criteria are not management values. The environmental health commission of the Council of public Health (HCSP) proposed "guideline values for the management of the indoor air quality". The WHO is presently working on recommendations that should be proposed by the end of the year 2010. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.