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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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CLIMATE CHANGE,

THE INDOOR
ENVIRONMENT,

AND HEALTH

Committee on the Effect of Climate Change on
Indoor Air Quality and Public Health

Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
         OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS    500 Fifth Street, N.W.    Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the US Environmental Protection Agency via award No. EP-D-09-071. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-20941-0
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-20941-2

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Cover credit: Thermal image of a residence in New Haven. © Tyrone Turner/National Geographic Society/Corbis.

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
”      

                                                —Goethe

image

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
                OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH

JOHN D. SPENGLER (Chair), Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

JOHN L. ADGATE, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado

ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR., Director and Professor, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

GINGER L. CHEW, Epidemiologist, Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

ANDREW HAINES, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

STEVEN M. HOLLAND, Chief, Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases; Chief, Immunopathogenesis Section, LCID; Tenured Investigator, Immunopathogenesis Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

VIVIAN E. LOFTNESS, University Professor, School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

LINDA A. MCCAULEY, Dean, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

WILLIAM W. NAZAROFF, Daniel Tellep Distinguished Professor, Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California

EILEEN STOREY, Surveillance Branch Chief, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, West Virginia

Program Staff

DAVID A. BUTLER, Senior Program Officer; Study Director

LAUREN N. SAVAGLIO, Research Associate

TIA S. CARTER, Senior Program Assistant

RACHEL S. BRIKS, Program Assistant

VICTORIA WITTIG, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow

HOPE HARE, Administrative Assistant

NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Senior Editor

ROSE MARIE MARTINEZ, Director, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of the independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of the report:

Patricia Butterfield, Dean and Professor, Washington State University, Spokane

Peyton Eggleston, Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center

Kristine M. Gebbie, Joan Hansen Grabe Dean (acting), Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, Hunter College, City University of New York; Professor, Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery

Peggy L. Jenkins, Manager, Indoor Exposure Assessment Section, Research Division, California Air Resources Board

Patrick Kinney, Associate Professor of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, School of Public Health

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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Donald Milton, Professor and Director, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland

Andrew K. Persily, Leader, Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation Group, Building Environment Division, Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Thomas J. Wilbanks, Corporate Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of the report was overseen by Richard B. Johnston, Associate Dean for Research Development, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, and Lynn R. Goldman, Dean, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Appointed by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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Acknowledgments

This report could not have been prepared without the guidance and expertise of numerous persons. Although it is not possible to mention by name all those who contributed to the committee’s work, the committee wants to express its gratitude to a number of them for their special contributions.

Sincere thanks go to all the participants at the public meetings convened on June 7 and July 14, 2010. The intent of the workshops was to gather information regarding issues related to climate change and public health. The speakers, who are listed in Appendix A, gave generously of their time and expertise to help to inform and guide the committee’s work. Many of them also provided additional information in response to the committee’s myriad questions.

The committee extends special thanks to the dedicated and hardworking staff of the Institute of Medicine’s Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, who supported and facilitated its work. Board Director Rose Marie Martinez helped to ensure that this report met the highest standards of quality.

Finally, the committee members would like to thank the chair, John D. Spengler, for his outstanding work, leadership, and dedication to this project.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13115.
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The indoor environment affects occupants' health and comfort. Poor environmental conditions and indoor contaminants are estimated to cost the U.S. economy tens of billions of dollars a year in exacerbation of illnesses like asthma, allergic symptoms, and subsequent lost productivity. Climate change has the potential to affect the indoor environment because conditions inside buildings are influenced by conditions outside them.

Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health addresses the impacts that climate change may have on the indoor environment and the resulting health effects. It finds that steps taken to mitigate climate change may cause or exacerbate harmful indoor environmental conditions. The book discusses the role the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should take in informing the public, health professionals, and those in the building industry about potential risks and what can be done to address them. The study also recommends that building codes account for climate change projections; that federal agencies join to develop or refine protocols and testing standards for evaluating emissions from materials, furnishings, and appliances used in buildings; and that building weatherization efforts include consideration of health effects.

Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health is written primarily for the EPA and other federal agencies, organizations, and researchers with interests in public health; the environment; building design, construction, and operation; and climate issues.

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