Future directions and research needs.

Abstract

In this paper, three perspectives for indoor air issues are considered: a) air inside of our homes and offices is a major component of our overall living environment and has potentially great impact on public health; b) there are important scientific questions raised specifically to indoor air that will require skills and expertise to develop and interpret research and data collection efforts; and c) from a risk assessor's point of view, the types and quality of scientific information is critical to the process of health risk assessment to risk managers to make the best decisions regarding environmental risks from indoor air. The primary focus of this presentation is to highlight suggested future directions and needs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that formed the core of a report to Congress on assessment and control of indoor air pollution. The five major areas that constitute the current EPA indoor air research strategy are monitoring/building studies; health effects; source characterization/mitigation; health impact/risk assessment; and program management/technology transfer. Additionally, major trends and research needs are discussed, including greater emphasis on noncancer effects and multiple pollutants at low levels and the need for more sensitive measures for detecting adverse health effects to more effectively characterize chemically sensitive individuals and population subgroups.