What is indoor air quality?
Indoor air quality, often abbreviated as IAQ, refers to the quality of the air inside buildings. The impact of our smoke-free products’ use on indoor air quality is an important element of our scientific assessment program.
Indoor air quality depends on concentrations of a broad spectrum of chemical and biological pollutants. Different standards may be used for evaluating this, including European ventilation performance standard EN 15251 (European Committee for Standardization, 2006) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard methods for measuring IAQ.
Standard 62.1-2022 from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is intended for regulatory application to new buildings, additions to existing buildings, and changes to existing buildings. It can also guide the improvement of IAQ in existing buildings. This standard describes acceptable air quality as, “air in which there are no known contaminants at harmful concentrations, as determined by cognizant authorities, and with which a substantial majority (80% or more) of the people exposed do not express dissatisfaction.”
Indoor air quality can be influenced by many sources. Common pollutants include contaminated outdoor air, emissions from building materials, furniture and furnishings, heating and ventilation systems, indoor activities like cooking or cleaning, and even people themselves.