Mitigation and Chemistry of Indoor Air Pollutants in Urban and Rural Environments of India: A Review of Contemporary Advances

Abstract

Globally people devote approximately 90% of their time indoors either in their house or office or institution, etc. Together with the dispersion of outdoor air pollutants, toxins are produced in indoor atmosphere owing to various actions such as heating, cooking, cooling and emissions from building materials. Hence, the indoor air quality (IAQ) influences human well-being and efficiency. Even though indoor air quality (IAQ) research has been done from various outlooks, there is still an absence of inclusive assessment of peer reviewed IAQ studies, which precisely covers the IAQ in rural and urban environment helping to recognize the sources and consequences in both the environment, respectively. Therefore, this review article of scientific studies offers a broad spectrum of pollutants identified in both rural and urban indoor environments in context to India, highlighting the technical interventions, modelling techniques and remedies such as HEPA filters, carbon filters, bioremediation etc. in course of improving IAQ. This review also elucidates the chemistry of pollutants along with general chemical reactions between pollutants. Thus, this review paper holds the potential to help building professionals and researchers in the field for regulating indoor air quality and generate healthy and sustainable indoor environment.