ABSTRACT
Over the last two to three decades, a great number of studies have been conducted on indoor air quality in buildings and residences. This chapter provides a brief overview and history of some of the major studies. New measurement methods specifically aimed at indoor use have been essential to the understanding of indoor air quality issues. The chapter highlights the most important and the most recent of these methods. Indoor air measurement methods operate under more strict requirements of size, bulkiness, airflow, and noise than their outdoor counterparts. The chapter provides a discussion on particles, organic gases, and inorganic gases. The particles category includes particle-bound organics such as the heavier polyaromatic hydrocarbons and metals such as lead. The organic gases category includes volatile organics and semivolatile organics, such as PCBs, nitrosamines, and the lighter PAHs. The major inorganic gases of interest indoors include nitrogen oxides, CO, and carbon dioxide.
