Biomaterial Database

[Organic-chemical air pollutants indoors--aspects of environmental toxicologic evaluation]. 1990

H Sagunski, and S Forschner, and G Koss, and A D Kappos

Behörde für Arbeit, Gesundheit und Soziales, Abteilung Gesundheit und Umwelt, Hamburg.

Indoor air pollution is characterized by a wide range of concentrations of many, mainly organic substances. To avoid adverse health effects it is necessary to develop indoor air quality standards. Standards should reflect the way and time of exposure and the fact that health risks might be possible especially to sensitive people. The toxicological basis for regulating indoor air quality is discussed. Special attention is given to organic substances with a cancerogenic and accumulating potential. An approach in setting standards of indoor air quality for frequent organic substances like toluene, xylene, styrene, dichloromethane, 1.1.1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, pentachlorophenol and PCB is presented, incorporating adequate protection margins. The results of this approach are compared with the WHO air quality guidelines and the German MIK values.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008452	Maximum Allowable Concentration	The maximum exposure to a biologically active physical or chemical agent that is allowed during an 8-hour period (a workday) in a population of workers, or during a 24-hour period in the general population, which does not appear to cause appreciable harm, whether immediate or delayed for any period, in the target population. (From Lewis Dictionary of Toxicology, 1st ed)	Maximum Permissible Exposure Level,MPEL,Maximum Permissible Exposure Concentration,Allowable Concentration, Maximum,Allowable Concentrations, Maximum,Concentration, Maximum Allowable,Concentrations, Maximum Allowable,MPELs,Maximum Allowable Concentrations
D011083	Polycyclic Compounds	Compounds which contain two or more rings in their structure.	Compounds, Polycyclic
D002274	Carcinogens, Environmental	Carcinogenic substances that are found in the environment.	Environmental Carcinogens
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000393	Air Pollutants	Any substance in the air which could, if present in high enough concentration, harm humans, animals, vegetation or materials. Substances include GASES; PARTICULATE MATTER; and volatile ORGANIC CHEMICALS.	Air Pollutant,Air Pollutants, Environmental,Environmental Air Pollutants,Environmental Pollutants, Air,Air Environmental Pollutants,Pollutant, Air,Pollutants, Air,Pollutants, Air Environmental,Pollutants, Environmental Air
D000397	Air Pollution	The presence of contaminants or pollutant substances in the air (AIR POLLUTANTS) that interfere with human health or welfare, or produce other harmful environmental effects. The substances may include GASES; PARTICULATE MATTER; or volatile ORGANIC CHEMICALS.	Air Quality,Air Pollutions,Pollution, Air
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D012997	Solvents	Liquids that dissolve other substances (solutes), generally solids, without any change in chemical composition, as, water containing sugar. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Solvent