# Indoor Air Quality and VOCs

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the chemical, biological, and physical makeup of the air inside buildings. Adults in rich countries spend about 90% of their time indoors. The key pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These include formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene. They come from furniture, paints, cleaning products, and combustion. Other pollutants matter too. Gas cooking gives off nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Cooking, candles, and printers give off ultrafine particles. High VOC and CO₂ levels can dull your higher-order thinking. The 2016 'COGfx' study showed it under controlled exposure. Cognitive scores were 61% higher in low-VOC green-building air. They were 101% higher with extra ventilation, versus normal offices. Chronic exposure is linked to Sick Building Syndrome, worse asthma, and heart problems. The WHO 2010 guidelines set health-based limits for selected pollutants. In Germany, the Umweltbundesamt issues guide and intervention values for indoor VOCs.

## Sources

- Allen JG, MacNaughton P, Satish U, et al.. (2016). Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments. Environmental Health Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510037
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. (2010). WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected Pollutants. WHO Europe. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789289002134
- Umweltbundesamt (UBA). (2023). Richtwerte für die Innenraumluft – Ad-hoc-Arbeitsgruppe. Bundesgesundheitsblatt. https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/gesundheit/kommissionen-arbeitsgruppen/ausschuss-fuer-innenraumrichtwerte-vormals-ad-hoc

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