Indoor Air Quality
Interactive

Indoor Air Quality

Maintain healthy air quality indoors by learning to identify and manage the hazards of harmful airborne contaminants

Vivid Learning
Updated Aug 23, 2018

Indoor air quality concerns relate to the existence of undesirable and sometimes harmful indoor airborne contaminants and other air qualities that can adversely impact the comfort and health of building occupants.

Indoor air contamination is typically caused by an accumulation of contaminants that originate from sources both inside and outside the building. These contaminants may be generated by a single source or several sources over a wide area, and may be generated periodically or continuously. If sources of contaminants are not controlled, indoor air quality problems can occur.

Contaminants originating outside the building commonly include airborne chemical vapors, gases and dusts, bacteria, fungi, pollen, dust, soil gas, and moisture.

Common sources of contaminants include emissions from nearby indoor and outdoor industrial, commercial, and farming operations. Also included are climate conditions and standing water that promotes excess microbial growth as well as exhaust from vehicles on nearby roads, in parking lots, or in garages.

The goal of this lesson is to provide awareness training to help employees recognize the occupational hazards and health effects of indoor air contaminants and controls to help maintain good indoor air quality.