ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the changes in indoor air quality occurring over the past several decades. The indoor air quality conference, "Improving Indoor Air Quality," was held at South Berwick, Maine, in 1972. A healthy adult might wonder, "Why is there so much concern and publicity about indoor air quality? In 1958, J. J. Phair recommended that indoor air quality should be considered in air health studies, and they reported a study of indoor air pollution and pulmonary function of respiratory cripples in Cincinnati. In the 1950s and 1960s, reasonable protection from the outdoor environment was assumed for people who stayed indoors at home. The science of indoor air quality as well as the actual and the individual perception of air quality inside buildings, are each in a state of flux. The ability to tailor the indoor environment to suit a person's or families individual needs should eventually bring considerable improvements to residential indoor air quality.
