Investigating surface production reactions indoors using a detailed chemical model

Increasing attention is being paid to indoor air quality and building related symptoms such as headaches, allergy and eye irritation. Indoor air pollutants are generated through activities such as cooking, cleaning or smoking, as well as emitted from building materials, paints, carpets, furnishing and cleaning products. They can also ingress from outdoors, and consequently, indoor environments often contain higher concentrations of air pollutants than outdoors. There is increasing evidence that secondary air pollutants may be responsible for some of the observed health effects indoors. Such secondary pollutants can be a by-product of surface production reactions indoors. An indoor chemical model (INDCM) that employs a detailed chemical mechanism has been used to investigate surface interactions indoors. Through modelling surface emissions, it is possible to investigate how they impact on the indoor air quality. The study shows that air pollutants can be removed from indoor air on a variety of surfaces commonly found in the indoor environment. Further, these reactions lead to the production of a range of species such as aldehydes, which may be of concern for health.