Indoor Air Pollution

Every day, most Americans are exposed to indoor air contaminants that can cause cancer, respiratory illness and other serious health problems. In fact, indoor air is typically two-to-five times more polluted than outdoor air. The most serious of the indoor air contaminants are environmental tobacco smoke (also called ETS or secondhand smoke) and radon, an invisible, odorless, radioactive gas that seeps into houses from underlying soil and rock. No one argues that residential or workplace air can be made totally pollutant free. But pollution experts and industry representatives disagree over whether radon poses a serious health hazard, and whether smoking should be totally banned at work and in public buildings.