General Indoor Air Quality 

Air quality inside homes, schools, and other buildings can be an important aspect of your health and the environment.

Indoor Air Quality in Offices and Other Large Buildings

Radon

Radon gas occurs naturally and can cause lung cancer. Testing for radon is simple, and fixes for elevated levels are available.

• Lung cancer kills thousands of Americans every year. Smoking, radon, and secondhand smoke are the leading causes of lung cancer. Although lung cancer can be treated, the survival rate is one of the lowest for those with cancer. From the time of diagnosis, between 11 and 15 percent of those afflicted will live beyond five years, depending upon demographic factors. In many cases lung cancer can be prevented.
• Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. Smoking causes an estimated 160,000* cancer deaths in the U.S. every year (American Cancer Society, 2004). And the rate among women is rising. On January 11, 1964, Dr. Luther L. Terry, then U.S. Surgeon General, issued the first warning on the link between smoking and lung cancer. Lung cancer now surpasses breast cancer as the number one cause of death among women. A smoker who is also exposed to radon has a much higher risk of lung cancer.
• Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a preventable cause of death.

Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, colorless gas. It is produced any time a fossil fuel is burned and it can cause sudden illness and death. CDC works with national, state, local, and other partners to raise awareness about CO poisoning and to monitor CO-related illness and death surveillance data in the U.S.

Environmental tobacco smoke / secondhand smoke

Secondhand smoke poses risks to infants, children, and adults.

• There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. People who do not smoke who are exposed to secondhand smoke, even for a short time, can suffer harmful health effects.1,2,3
• In adults who do not smoke, secondhand smoke exposure can cause coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other diseases. It can also result in premature death.1,2,3
• Secondhand smoke can cause adverse reproductive health effects in women, including low birth weight.1,3
• In children, secondhand smoke exposure can cause respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks. In babies, secondhand smoke can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).1,2,3
• Since 1964, about 2,500,000 people who did not smoke died from health problems caused by secondhand smoke exposure.1
• The effects of secondhand smoke exposure on the body are immediate.1,3  Secondhand smoke exposure can produce harmful inflammatory and respiratory effects within 60 minutes of exposure which can last for at least three hours after exposure.4