Abstract
Wood, kerosene, coal, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and biomass have been used as mainly fuels for cooking and heating in our daily life. Health effects of indoor air pollutants emitted by combustion of their fuels are very serious, in particular, low- and middle-income countries, and then the urgent actions are required. World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of five. In this paper, the basic characteristics, main emission sources, and health effects of typical indoor air pollutants emitted by combustion, including particulate matters (PM10, PM2.5), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (mainly, benzo[a]pyrene), and volatile organic compounds (benzene, formaldehyde) are summarized. In addition, the latest WHO air quality guidelines for those compounds are also summarized.
