Europart - Airborne particles in the indoor environment. A European interdisciplinary review of scientific evidence on associations between exposure to particles in buildings and health effects

The relevance of particle mass, surface area or number concentration as risk indicators for health effects in non-industrial buildings has been assessed by a European interdisciplinary group of researchers by reviewing papers identified in Medline, Toxline, and OSH. Studies dealing with dermal effects or cancer or specifically addressing environmental tobacco smoke, major allergens, and pesticides were excluded. Seventy-six papers were identified for evaluation and eight of these were judged to be conclusive and included in the final review: five experimental studies, two cross-sectional office studies, and a longitudinal study among elderly with cardiovascular conditions. Given the limited and inconclusive scientific evidence, the group concluded that indoor particulate mass or number concentrations cannot be used as generally applicable risk indicators of health effects in non-industrial buildings and that there is an inadequate scientific basis on which to establish limit values or guidelines for particulate mass or number concentrations.