The INGENIOUS project: towards understanding air pollution in homes

TY - JOUR

T1 - The INGENIOUS project

T2 - towards understanding air pollution in homes

AU - Carslaw, Nicola

AU - Shaw, David

AU - Dillon, Terry James

AU - Kumar, Ashish

AU - Shaw, Marvin David

AU - Carslaw, David

AU - Lewis, Alastair

AU - Lee, James D

AU - Hamilton, Jacqui

AU - Budisulistiorini, Sri Hapsari

AU - West, Sarah Elizabeth

AU - Edwards, Peter

AU - Pleace, Nicholas

AU - Ruangkanit, Athina

AU - Warburton, Thomas

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

PY - 2025/1/14

Y1 - 2025/1/14

N2 - This paper provides an overview of the INGENIOUS (UnderstandING the sourcEs, traNsformations and fates of IndOor air pollUtantS) project, aiming to better understand air pollution in homes. Although our homes are the microenvironment in which we spend most of our time, we know relatively little about the sources, transformation processes and fates of indoor air pollutants, or our exposure to them. INGENIOUS aims to address this knowledge gap by delivering: an indoor emissions inventory for UK homes; comprehensive air pollutant measurements in 310 homes in Bradford using a combination of low cost-sensors and more advanced air quality instrumentation; an analysis of the impact of indoor air pollution on outdoor air quality and vice versa using mobile measurements; insight into future indoor air quality using detailed air pollution models; identification of indoor air pollutants that warrant further toxicological study; and better understanding of the barriers and facilitators for behaviour that drives improved indoor air quality. Median daily PM2.5 and CO2 concentrations varied from 7.8 μg m−3 and 666 ppm in the summer, to 16.4 μg m−3 and 857 ppm in the winter respectively in our sampled homes. Peak daily PM2.5 concentrations above 150 μg m−3 were frequently observed across all seasons, and were driven by cooking. Cooking activities also generated high concentrations of volatile organic compounds during emissions measurements, such as harmful aldehydes (up to ∼50 ppb), and alcohols (up to ∼600 ppb) from a chicken stir-fry. Our sampled homes displayed a wide variation in indoor pollutant concentrations, with a strong link to behaviour, including frequency and type of cooking activities, and use of ventilation.

AB - This paper provides an overview of the INGENIOUS (UnderstandING the sourcEs, traNsformations and fates of IndOor air pollUtantS) project, aiming to better understand air pollution in homes. Although our homes are the microenvironment in which we spend most of our time, we know relatively little about the sources, transformation processes and fates of indoor air pollutants, or our exposure to them. INGENIOUS aims to address this knowledge gap by delivering: an indoor emissions inventory for UK homes; comprehensive air pollutant measurements in 310 homes in Bradford using a combination of low cost-sensors and more advanced air quality instrumentation; an analysis of the impact of indoor air pollution on outdoor air quality and vice versa using mobile measurements; insight into future indoor air quality using detailed air pollution models; identification of indoor air pollutants that warrant further toxicological study; and better understanding of the barriers and facilitators for behaviour that drives improved indoor air quality. Median daily PM2.5 and CO2 concentrations varied from 7.8 μg m−3 and 666 ppm in the summer, to 16.4 μg m−3 and 857 ppm in the winter respectively in our sampled homes. Peak daily PM2.5 concentrations above 150 μg m−3 were frequently observed across all seasons, and were driven by cooking. Cooking activities also generated high concentrations of volatile organic compounds during emissions measurements, such as harmful aldehydes (up to ∼50 ppb), and alcohols (up to ∼600 ppb) from a chicken stir-fry. Our sampled homes displayed a wide variation in indoor pollutant concentrations, with a strong link to behaviour, including frequency and type of cooking activities, and use of ventilation.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85216515077&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1039/d4em00634h

DO - 10.1039/d4em00634h

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85216515077

SN - 2050-7887

VL - 27

JO - Environmental Sciences: Processes and Impacts

JF - Environmental Sciences: Processes and Impacts

M1 - 355–372

ER -