Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INQUIRE (Identification of chemical and biological determinants, their sources, and strategies to promote healthier homes in Europe)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29
Air pollution is a main determinant of early death risk, responsible for more than 6 million premature deaths worldwide each year. European outdoor air quality (AQ) standards are in place for a range of pollutants to protect European citizens. However, exposure in indoor environments may be even more relevant as European citizens spend up to 90% of their time indoors and the concentrations of many pollutants are higher indoors than in outdoor urban environments. Yet there is still inadequate knowledge on chemical and biological determinants in indoor environments, their sources and the human health risk they pose. Regulators lack a comprehensive list of hazardous determinants in indoor environments, hindering actions to ensure healthy buildings. There is an evidence-based consensus that the determinants of IAQ are more numerous and complex than the IAQ parameters defined by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) IAQ guidelines on biological and chemical pollution. Today, >350,000 chemicals are in commerce (>100,000 in the EU) and many of these are of relevance to IAQ. Many other unknown or poorly characterized chemicals enter the European market unchecked in imported commercial products and household materials, despite current chemical management regulations. Humans are ubiquitously and increasingly exposed to such chemicals indoors where articles such as building materials, furniture, electronics, personal care products, cleaning products, and toys contain synthetic chemicals, which can be released to indoor air and particles. The types of adverse health effects of exposure to such chemicals go beyond cancer and increased deaths; e.g. endocrine disrupting effects are of particular concern. In addition, interactions between chemicals and the indoor microbiome may be important in mediating adverse health effects. Most of the European citizens (84%) are rightfully concerned about the health impacts of exposure to chemicals in everyday products. Yet to improve the health and well-being of European citizens, we must have a clear understanding of the multitude of indoor pollutants, the most relevant sources for human exposure, and what strategies are most effective for improving AQ of indoor spaces.
INQUIRE will provide science-based evidence to support the characterization and prioritization of hazardous chemical and biological determinants of household IAQ together with their sources and exposure drivers. INQUIRE focuses particularly on families with infants and young children (<5 years old) that spend substantial time indoors. We focus specifically on home environments, the dominant indoor environment for young children. We will evaluate innovative actions to substantially reduce the number and quantity of hazardous chemical and biological determinants in homes, reducing harmful exposures and positively impacting the health of residents. INQUIRE’s outputs will contribute to building a better and more comprehensive strategy for improving IAQ and making healthier homes.
The inclusion of emerging pollutants in evaluations of IAQ is a core component of INQUIRE. The EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability highlights the need for Europe to respond rapidly and effectively to the challenges posed by hazardous chemicals, particularly endocrine disrupting chemicals and PFAS. INQUIRE will directly support this by characterizing the sources of chemicals of emerging concern in homes, including PFAS and plastic additives with endocrine disrupting potential (e.g. flame retardants and plasticizers). Through comprehensive sampling including consumer products, INQUIRE will link indoor presences of hazardous chemicals with their presence in consumer products and building materials.