"Toxic" drywall, formaldehyde emissions, mold, asbestos, lead-based
paint, radon, PCBs in caulk, and many other indoor pollution
problems have concerned federal policy makers and regulators during
the last 30 years. Some problems have been resolved, others remain
of concern, and new indoor pollution problems continually emerge.
This report describes common indoor pollutants and health effects
that have been linked to indoor pollution, federal statutes that
have been used to address indoor pollution, key issues, and some
general policy options for Congress. Indoor pollutants are
chemicals that are potentially harmful to people and found in the
habitable portions of buildings, including homes, schools, offices,
factories, and other public gathering places. Some indoor
pollutants, like lead or ozone, are also outdoor pollutants.
Others, like formaldehyde or asbestos, are primarily indoor
pollutants. Indoor pollutants may be natural (for example, carbon
monoxide or radon) or synthetic (polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs]),
and may originate indoors or outdoors. They may be deliberately
produced, naturally occurring, or inadvertent byproducts of human
activities. For example, they may arise indoors as uncontrolled
emissions from building materials, paints, or furnishings, from
evaporation following the use of cleaning supplies or pesticides,
or as a combustion byproduct as a result of heating or cooking.
Some pollution that originates outdoors infiltrates through porous
basements (e.g., radon) or is inadvertently brought into indoor
spaces, perhaps through heating or air conditioning systems or in
contaminated drinking water. Often pollutants accumulate indoors as
a result of deliberate improvements to increase energy efficiency,
for example by reducing building permeability to air. The health
risks posed by indoor pollutants have concerned scientists for many
years. Because people spend a high percentage of their time
indoors, and concentrations of pollutants often are higher in
indoor air than outdoor air, the risks due to exposure can be
higher than many other environmental risks. Moreover, a 2011 report
by the Institute of Medicine warns that many indoor environmental
quality problems might get worse if adaptations to climate change
are made without better information and programs aimed at pollution
prevention. No federal agency has broad authority concerning
pollution indoors. Nonetheless, numerous federal agencies have some
authority to control particular indoor pollutants or sources of
pollution or the quality of indoor environments in a particular
class of structures. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA) to study and issue safety guidelines for radon and
lead-based paint hazards. The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) authorizes EPA also to
respond to releases of hazardous substances into the outdoor
environment which may migrate indoors. The Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) has authority to set emission limits for, and to
restrict uses of, certain chemicals in consumer products. The
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the General
Services Administration (GSA) regulate some indoor pollutants in
federal buildings. These and other agencies have conducted research
to examine the risks of various indoor pollutants. Concerns about
coordination of federal efforts to address indoor pollution have
been expressed by the general public, the U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO), and the U.S. Congress. But any federal
response to indoor pollution is complicated by the need to
coordinate with local and state governments as well to address
potentially overlapping jurisdictions and resources. Options for
Congress range from maintenance or improvement of the status quo to
reduction or expansion of federal involvement in research,
information dissemination, or regulation.
General
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