Engaging Citizens in Air Pollution Research: Investigating the Built Environment and Indoor Air Quality and Its Impact on Quality of Life

Abstract

There is evidence that when people are exposed to sociobehavorial and socioeconomic disadvantage they become more susceptible to the impacts of poor environmental quality and experience exacerbated health outcomes as a result. In addition, existing literature clearly establishes a relationship between the built environment (e.g., housing, transportation infrastructure) and its effects on physical health, yet no studies to date have examined indoor air pollution and its effect on quality of life (combining physical and mental health). The goal of this study was to move beyond physical health and associate indoor air pollution to reduced psychological and social wellbeing. This study focuses on indoor air quality (IAQ) data and select results from a quality of life (QOL) survey from 41 homes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Each home was monitored for 7–31 days collecting continuous samples of carbon dioxide, particulate matter (PM), black carbon, relative humidity, radon, temperature, formaldehyde, and total volatile organic compounds; colocated outdoor samples were also collected. Seasonal effects on IAQ were observed across the study. More specifically, a buildup of volatile organic compounds from cleaning/sanitizing products and other anthropogenic sources (e.g., human metabolism, personal care products, and clothing) were attributed to the enclosed nature of homes during heating months. The challenges of aged and deteriorating infrastructure also impacted pollutant concentrations. Radon levels in homes built before 1940, were on average 69% higher than conventional homes built after 1940. The largest PM concentrations were observed in homes where occupants smoked indoors, or the homes were occupied by pets. Based on the QOL survey, bivariate analysis of the 41 questions suggests household income (r = 0.57), poor mental health days (r = −0.71), depression (r = −0.77), anxiety (r = −0.66), everyday functionally (r = −0.62), and living in a safe and secure environment (r = 0.52) are significant factors that impact QOL. Multiple linear regression was then performed to determine the strength of each predictor variable, and to forecast the effect of indoor PM on the overall QOL score. The analysis revealed a significant relationship between indoor PM and individual dimensions of QOL (household income, and living in a safe and secure environment), but there was not a dominant effect on the overall QOL score. Although the effect was less profound than expected, our analysis serves as the basis of future work and marks the beginning of needed research in IAQ and its effect on social and emotional wellbeing.