International Programs
Indoor Air Quality
Key Topics
- Air Quality and Public Health
- Transboundary Air Pollution
- Air Quality Management Manual
- Air Quality: Methods, Tools, and Training
- Global Climate Change
- Stratospheric Ozone
- Toxic Air Pollutants
- Indoor Air Quality
- Transportation and Air Quality
- Initiatives and Partnerships
- Bilateral and International Agreements
- Partners
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
More than 2 billion people in the developing world burn traditional biomass fuels indoors for cooking and heating. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this increased smoke exposure results in an estimated 1.6 million premature deaths each year, largely among women and children. In developed countries, typcial sources of indoor exposures are molds and moisture, chemicals, secondhand smoke, radon and a number of other pollutants that affect human health.
For information about EPA and WHO indoor air programs:
- Basic Information About Indoor Air Quality
- Indoor Air Research Program
- Indoor Air Quality Publications
- World Health Organization information on indoor air quality
Internationally, EPA is a leading partner in The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air. This Partnership was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg to address the increased environmental health risk faced by more than 2 billion people in the developing world who burn traditional biomass fuels indoors for cooking and heating. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to indoor air pollution results in an estimated 1.6 million premature deaths each year, largely among women and children. The mission of the Partnership is to improve health, livelihood, and quality of life by reducing exposure to air pollution from household energy use.