7th June 2012
BBC article on Professor Sharifi's research
Study finds pollution three times higher indoors
Pollution levels in some homes could be three times higher than outdoors, a study has found. Researchers at the University of Sheffield compared environment and energy use, including gas and electric, at three different locations in the city.
They found that as people insulate their homes, they could be exposing themselves to high pollution levels. Currently no guidelines are set for safe indoor pollution levels.
Health impacts
The university researchers compared a rural house which had been split into two flats and used electric cookers, to two city centre apartments using gas appliances.
Professor Vida Sherifi, who led the research, said the two flats which used gas had released high levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide. These levels were found to be higher than government guidelines for outdoor air quality.
"We spend 90% of our time indoors and work hard to make our homes warm, secure and comfortable, but we rarely think about the pollution we might be breathing in," said Prof Sherifi.
"Energy is just one source of indoor pollution, but it is a significant one... with potential impacts on our health."
The university said more research was needed to establish the long-term effects of indoor air quality.