Indoor environments and health: moving into the 21st century

The quality of our indoor environments affects well-being and productivity, and risks fordiverse diseases are increased by indoor air pollutants, surface contamination with toxinsand microbes, and contact among people at home, at work, in transportation, and in manyother public and private places. Offered here is an overview of nearly a century of researchdirected at understanding indoor environments and health, current research needs, andpolicy initiatives that need to be addressed in order to have the healthiest possible builtenvironments. The policy context for built environments extends beyond healthconsiderations to include energy use for air-conditioning, selection of materials forsustainability, and design for safety, security and productivity.