Dear Colleagues,

It is now well established that indoor air pollution contributes significantly to the global burden of disease in the population. In the presence of indoor sources, indoor contaminant concentrations are higher, sometimes 10 or 20 times more so (e.g., formaldehyde) than the respective outdoor air levels. Additionally, if until recently people spent about 90% of their time in confined spaces, distributed among their workplace, means of transport, home or leisure spaces, today, for a portion of the population, that time reaches 99% or even 100% in the case of sick people at home. Indoor air quality (IAQ) thus becomes an even more relevant concern, since a prolonged exposure to the same profile of potentially toxic substances, even at low concentrations, may affect human health, causing or aggravating diseases such as allergies, nose and skin irritation, asthma and other airborne respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

To act in order to improve IAQ in any space, it is necessary to understand the occupants and the space dynamics. One of the main parameters is, without doubt, the sources that can be so diverse, such as construction materials, furniture and decoration materials, consumer products, air-conditioning systems, and the occupants themselves and their activities. In recent decades, there has been an improvement in regulation efforts, and many chemical compounds have been the object of restrictions. However, many other compounds have emerged to replace those already restricted.

This Special Issue aims to receive contributions that reveal the actual situation of the potential pollution provoked by the multiple sources existing in our homes, but also in other spaces, such as schools, offices, leisure spaces, etc. Special attention should be given to restricted substances (CMR compounds) and substances of very high concern (SVHC), despite the interest in observing the existence of potential emerging compounds. Only knowing pollution agents, new regulation can be prepared in order to protect people’s health.

Achieving healthy indoor environments for the population, but especially for the most vulnerable, should be a top priority for 21st-century society.

Dr. Gabriela Ventura A. Silva
Dr. Anabela O. Martins
Guest Editors

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• indoor air quality
• indoor sources
• building materials
• consumer products
• human activities
• chemical compounds
• volatile organic compounds
• SVHC
• CMR compounds