Health Canada’s Indoor Air Program: Risk Assessment and Research to Support Standards Development

Health Canada, a science-based organization, is the Government of Canada’s federal department responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. As Canadians spend on average 90% of their time indoors, indoor air quality is an important environmental determinant of health. Health Canada’s Indoor Air program develops and promotes best practices to improve indoor air quality by conducting human health risk assessments of indoor air contaminants, research into indoor air quality and strategies to reduce exposure, and outreach and engagement initiatives to communicate risk to various audiences. The main output of risk assessment activities by the Indoor Air program are the Residential Indoor Air Quality Guidelines (RIAQGs), which consist of short-term and long-term health-based exposure limits. The RIAQGs provide the scientific basis for actions to reduce exposure and/or protect health, guide research to address data gaps, and inform the development of communication and outreach products and activities. These actions have included support for regulation and standard development, such as the CSA-O160-16 Formaldehyde emissions standard for composite wood products and the CSA 6.19-01 standard Residential carbon monoxide alarming devices with positive results. The future direction of Health Canada’s Indoor Air program includes seeking more opportunities to engage in and provide evidence-based support for the development and/or update of standards and certifications that have the potential to directly impact indoor air quality in Canada.