Indoor air pollution and airway health.

Because of the disproportionate amount of time that people spend indoors and the complexities of air pollutant exposures found there, indoor air pollution is a growing concern for airway health. Both infiltration of outdoor air pollution into the indoor space and indoor sources (such as smoke from tobacco products, cooking or heating practices and combustion of associated fuels, and household materials) contribute to unique exposure mixtures. Although there is substantial literature on the chemistry of indoor air pollution, research focused on health effects is only beginning to emerge and remains an important area of need to protect public health. We provide a review of emerging literature spanning the past 3 years and relating indoor air exposures to airway health, with a specific focus on the impact of either individual pollutant exposures or common combustion sources on the lower airways. Factors defining susceptibility and/or vulnerability are reviewed with consideration for priority populations and modifiable risk factors that may be targeted to advance health equity.
Competing Interests: Disclosure statement Supported by the National Institutes of Health (to M.R., H.K., and E.B.), US Department of Veteran Affairs (to H.K.), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (to E.B.), Michael Smith Health Research BC (to E.B.), National Sanitarium Association (to E.B.), BC Lung Foundation (to E.B.), Legacy for Airway Health (to E.B.), and the NIEHS center (ES05022 to H.K.). Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: E. Brigham reports an unrestricted award from AstraZeneca.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)