Indoor Air Pollution Is a Serious Problem In developing countries, the indoor burning of wood, charcoal, dung, crop residues, coal, and other cooking and heating fuels in open fires or in unvented or poorly vented stoves exposes people to dangerous levels of particulate air pollution. And workers, including children (Figure 18-5), can be exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution where there are few if any laws or regulations for controlling such pollution. According to
the WHO and the World Bank, indoor air pollution is, for poor people, the world’s most serious air pollution problem. This is a glaring example of the relationship between poverty, environmental quality, and human health. Indoor air pollution is also a serious problem in developed countries. If you live in such a country and are reading this book indoors, you may be inhaling more air pollutants than you would if you were outside. Figure 18-16 (p. 484) shows some typical sources of indoor air pollution in a modern home.