Set in the context of the UK Clean Air Programme, it is slowly being realised that indoor air pollution is as serious a problem for health as external and traffic pollution. The reasons for this are set out with an indication of the wide range of indoor air pollutants and their effect on the health of people and children in particular. Identifying sources from building materials and chemicals should lead to greater regulation. The other approach to reducing risks is to use the precautionary principle, reduce the use of hazardous materials and shift to the use non-toxic natural materials.

1. Routes to Clean Air Bristol 12th Oct 2021
Tom Woolley
Why indoor air quality and limiting materials emissions is as
important as external pollution

2. Dr. Tom Woolley
Rachel Bevan Architects
County Down Northern Ireland
Visiting Professor Centre for Alternative Technology
https://www.icebookshop.com/Products/Thermal-
Insulation-Materials-for-Building-Applicat.aspx
https://www.routledge.com/Building-Materials-Health-
and-Indoor-Air-Quality-No-Breathing-
Space/Woolley/p/book/9781138934498
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethics-Built-Environment-
Professional/dp/0415238781
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corporate-Social-
Responsibility-Construction-Industry-
ebook/dp/B00B0YT6KU

3. The Clean Air programme is jointly delivered by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Met
Office, with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, Medical Research Council (MRC), National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Science &
Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Department for
Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for Transport (DfT), Scottish Government and Welsh Government.
I am chair of the UK Clean Air Steering Committee. This co-
ordinates the efforts of a wide range of Government agencies
and research funding bodies
StrategicPrioritiesFundCleanAirProgramme
Atmospheric pollution in the UK is responsible for approximately 40,000 early
deaths and has a cost of around £20 billion to health services and business,
per year.

4. An important aspect of
the programme is considering
the interface between outdoor
and indoor air but there could
have been more emphasis
on indoor air pollution

5. WHY IS INDOOR AIR POLLUTION IMPORTANT?
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency,
the World Health Organisation and many other international bodies,
the level of indoor pollutants in most houses and buildings
Is usually two to five times higher than that of outdoor levels.
Indoor pollutants can be more damaging to health than outdoor equivalents.
People spend up to 90% of their time inside buildings
Despite this, the focus of concern in the UK has been almost entirely on outdoor pollution
While outdoor emissions are serious and damaging to health,
particularly in cities, where there is heavy traffic and industrial pollution,
very little analysis and policy work has considered indoor air quality in the UK
Someone living in an unpolluted rural area can still suffer from indoor contamination
There are many sources of indoor emissions (including pollution than comes in from outside)
But professional and Governments are only slowly recognising this problem

6. NICE guide to
indoor air quality
at home
Awareness of indoor air quality is growing

7. How healthy is our indoor environment ?
Since Covid lock down people have become more
aware of their indoor environment
Houses are increasingly air tight and ventilation can be
poor in many houses
This increases the level of exposure to hazardous
chemicals…..but there is a lack of data

8. A major study of VOC emissions shows that “consumer” emissions
i.e. indoor pollutants, are as important as external…
these are not just caused by consumer products but also building materials

9. One of the reasons that indoor pollution is overlooked is that it is more complex and there are many
sources.
The toxic cocktail problem is a useful title as we ingest toxic substances from the air we breath, the
food we eat and from personal hygiene products
Ironically more research has been done on the levels of chemicals in cats than in people

10. Pollution from a range of sources, traffic, industrial emissions, waste and landfill pollution
and indoor air affect many children. The UK has a shameful record in not properly
investigating these disasters and learning the lessons

11. Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Volatile Organic Compound Emissions
Chapter 3: Emissions from materials – Why do we need to use
hazardous chemicals?
Chapter 4: Cancer, Carcinogens and Building Materials
Chapter 5: Other Hazards and Radiation
Chapter 6: Hazardous Materials to be avoided and why
Chapter 7: Mould, Damp, Fuel Poverty and Breathability
Chapter 8: Ventilation and a critique of Passiv Haus
Chapter 9: Dealing with problems in existing buildings
Chapter 10: Healthy Building Theories
Chapter 11: How to building Healthier Buildings
Chapter 12: Policy Issues for Healthy Buildings – A Critical Analysis
Appendix A: Carcinogenic Chemicals used in buildings and building materials
Appendix B: Useful Organisations
What are the sources of indoor air pollution?

12. We can test for indoor air emissions using simple and affordable equipment
and uncover a huge range of hazardous chemicals in most houses and buildings

13. Cleaning materials, and hygiene products, perfumes and deodorants
can be sources: though their effect on health is sometimes exaggerated
Non toxic cleaning materials are readily available

14. Flame Retardants are emitted from a wide range of
building materials, furnishes and fittings
2004

15. PFAS Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (forever chemicals)
have recently been identified as a serious cause for concern
used in a wide range of building materials

16. Formaldehyde and other carcinogens widely used in a range of building materials

17. Hazardous emissions from PUR and PIR insulations
Isocyanates, polyols, flame retardants, blowing agents and
catalysts, by products
Carcinogens and products causing respiratory problems
Research demonstrates that in isolation each group could
impact human health, with some carrying higher risks
compared to others [13,14].
During the production, and lifecycle, of PU products various
organic compounds can be released from the foams into the
indoor environment. Scarce data is available covering these
emissions and to address the knowledge gap, a compilation of
small studies was published by ASTM to provide further
insight [15], followed by the ASTM D8142-17 standard for
measuring SPF chemical emissions. This collection of reports
provides data in relation to SPF emissions and their
implications on indoor environmental quality (IEQ).
Polyurethane products are found abundantly in modern indoor
environments [8], however their cumulative volatile and semi-
volatile organic (VOCs, SVOCs) long-term emissions and
implications on human health are still largely unknown
VOCs are so commonplace and extensive that there is no time to list them all here.
VOCs can linger and are not simply a result of new paint,
but are emitted from products like insulations

18. BASF factory in Ludwigshavn
The insulation materials that are made from
hazardous chemicals can damage the planet,
the buildings they are installed in
and the health of occupants. There is no point
in campaigning to “Insulate Britain” if it leads
to greater use of flammable CO2 emitting
polluting petrochemical insulation materials

19. Isocyanates are some of the most pervasive and toxic
chemicals used in insulations and are still used inside houses
in retrofit projects. They are also flammable

20. “Isocyanates are highly reactive
chemicals
That can cause skin, eye and lung
irritation,
asthma and chemical sensitization”
US Environmental Protection Agency
Spray foam products are endorsed
by the UK Energy Saving Trust

21. The production of synthetic petrochemical insulations
creates massive pollution problems and as a result has largely shifted to China

22. Dampness causes mould and is a serious
indoor air pollutant responsible for a range of
respiratory health problems.
The use of non vapour permeable plastic
materials in houses today leads to damp and
mould

23. What can be done to limit indoor air pollution?
This recent conference in Berlin was concerned with advancing regulations
concerning VOC emissions.

24. In the short term we can use the precautionary principle

25. Laminated veneer timber
Laminate finishes
Toilet and washroom panelling
Flame retardant paints and fire retardant coatings
Plasterboard and gypsum fibreboard
Rubber flooring materials
Acrylic flooring
Cement based screeds and additives
Air tightness tapes and gap sealants
Woodstains and wood oils
Cellulose insulations..different products
Mineral wool and stone wool insulations
Adhesives for carpets, flooring and other finishes
Carpet materials, wool nylon etc and removal of contaminants
Treated timber
Timber and fire retardants
Composite timber products, various kinds (Formaldehyde emissions)
Paints
Structural Wood panels
Waterproofing membranes
In a number if projects it has been possible to work with the architects to critically examine
potential emissions and find alternatives . The list below is from one such case study
showing the materials and products that were of concern and less hazardous alternatives
were suggested

26. Standard building specifications include hundreds of toxic materials which can easily be substituted
Snap shot of work involved in analysing specification

27. Something as simple as laying a screed now introduces dozens of hazardous chemicals
as builders want them to dry quicker
Accessing chemical constituents can sometimes be done by
analysing health and safety data sheets

28. Adhesives used with floorings are a serious potential source of emissions but even mainstream suppliers
produce low toxicity alternatives

29. Many of the materials used to try and create more energy efficient homes
instead causes indoor air quality problems and serious pollution that damages
the planet and contributes to carbon emissions as they are based on
petrochemicals and plastics

30. The TCPA private members Healthy Homes bill could be a step forward
Though it is much more focused on external spaces than on indoor air quality
Very few housing developers would have any understanding of healthy homes

31. Some small builders in the private sector have already
begun to market “healthy homes” though not all use
natural non hazardous materials
We can avoid bad indoor air quality and almost eliminate
toxic emissions by using natural bio-based materials

32. s
Bodies like the Manchester
Carbon Co-op
Have pioneered the use of
Wood fibre insulation
for retrofit for instance

33. Some groups now run workshops on how to use natural materials

34. Clayfields Suffolk
Hempcrete

35. Hempcrete
widely
used in retrofit
Insulation, is
Non hazardous
Vapour
permeable,
hygroscopic
Fire proof

36. New Book Natural Building Techniques out shortly
New Guide to healthy buildings in Scotland out shortly