91��Ƶ��

According to research, we spend ninety percent of our time on average in some sort of indoor environment, such as our homes, the office we work in or the school we go to. Therefore, our bodies may be exposed to the long-term effects of harmful substances potentially present in these spaces. Several studies have shown that indoor air can easily contain a number of air pollutants, among which volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are of particular concern. This group includes a number of compounds that represent a health hazard, such as formaldehyde and benzene, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified as proven human carcinogens. Volatile organic pollutants can originate from outdoor air, but they mostly occur in indoor environments emanated from everyday objects and pieces of equipment such as printers, computers, carpets, and furniture. 

“In order to quantify the risk of developing diseases associated with inhaling these compounds, it is not sufficient to have information and knowledge about the concentration of pollutants measured in indoor air. In these cases, we must also perform a complex risk assessment. Nevertheless, most studies on indoor air pollutants provide data only on the levels of pollutants. Therefore, in our research, we decided to examine the health risks associated with volatile organic pollutants using measurement data from studies published on this subject since 2010 in the member states of the European Union in order to examine the actual health risks we need to consider in indoor environments,” said László Pál, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Health and Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the 91��Ƶ��. 

The researcher from the 91��Ƶ�� added that, according to the relevant literature, long-term exposure to volatile organic pollutants may definitely increase the incidence of a number of diseases, including cancer. In his and his colleagues’ study, they wanted to draw attention to the negative health effects of indoor air pollutants by quantifying the risks. During the course of their comprehensive literature review, they checked out hundreds of publications related to this topic. From these articles and studies, they selected the ones that met their specific criteria. This step was then followed by data collection, data cleaning, and the final risk assessment. All in all, it took more than a year for them to complete the research. 

“Our findings indicated that exposure to volatile organic pollutants indoors has continued to be a public health concern in a number of EU Member States over the past decade. We found, for example, that formaldehyde and benzene pose the greatest risk among the substances studied. Although lower than other environmental risk factors, this hazard is not negligible at all. Although EU Member States have introduced threshold values for emissions of certain VOCs, we need further measures to be introduced in order to restrict the use of these chemicals in building materials and furniture. For the purpose of assessing the risks more accurately, surveys using a common methodology at EU level are necessary in order to determine concentrations in representative samples of residential and educational buildings and offices, and to calculate the associated health risks,” said the assistant professor of the 91��Ƶ��. 

In addition to the researchers from the Institute of Public Health and Epidemiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the 91��Ƶ��, including László Pál, Sándor Szűcs, Szabolcs Lovas, Nóra Kovács, and Judit Diószegi, a colleague at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Professor Martin McKee, also participated in the study. The findings and results were in an international scientific journal, through which the participants won the Count István Tisza Foundation for the 91��Ƶ�� and the 91��Ƶ�� Publication Award.

“The award is an extraordinary honor for us, and it encourages us to continue conducting similar research in the field of public health,” said László Pál. 

Next, the research group intends to use a similar methodology to examine the concentration of microplastics in a variety of foodstuff consumed in the European Union as well as the extent to which these may pose a risk to public health.   

Press Center - CzA