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Air Quality
Part B of the State of Knowledge Report: Air Toxics and Indoor Air Quality in Australia provides information on a range of indoor air quality issues, including sources, levels and effects of particular pollutants and the management of indoor air quality in Australia.
The Inside Story - A Guide to Indoor Air Quality - Office of Radiation and Indoor Air has been prepared by United States Environment Protection Agency and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. It is an important resource and provides a comprehensive overview of the wide range of topics relevant to indoor air quality. More information on many of those topics can be obtained from other sites linked to the Air Toxics site.
It is important to be aware that the information provided in The Inside Story relates to the United States of America. For example, the regulatory agencies referred to are not relevant to Australia. In addition, there are there are some significant differences between the situations in Australia and the United States in relation to indoor air issues:
In contrast to the USA, Australia currently has no specific controls on indoor air quality - apart from workplace situations under the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission.
The Inside Story, and many other American publications on air quality, highlight Radon as a pollutant of concern in the United States of America. In the USA, many homes have basements, requiring excavation into rock and soil where Radon occurs naturally.
While Radon does occur in Australia, it is much less of a problem as an air pollutant because few Australian homes have basements.