Posted: February 9th, 2023

Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality

1. The natural pollutants of radon and biological contaminants could be potentially found in residence dwelling or business buildings in rural portions of the United States as well as under developed third-world countries this is because radon is a colourless, odourless gas which sinks in air since it has a high density and is as a result of radioactive decay of radium in the soil which accounts for its found in residential areas where there is a lot of soil. This is also due to the fact that rural areas and third-world countries, have a lot of shale and boulders in the soil. Radon gas along with its decay products attach to dust and airborne particles and may be inhaled by human beings. In buildings, due to its high density it is often found in the basement of buildings constructed on top radon rich soil this is according to Indoor Pollution: Radon (2016). On the other hand biological contaminants are from living organisms in the form of fungi, bacteria, viruses, rodents and dust mites. These organisms do well in rural areas and in third world countries where the conditions of growth are optimum. These conditions are availability of moisture in bathrooms, damp basements and carpets. Also there is enough moisture and the ecology allows their growth in rural areas and third-world countries.
2. Hydrocarbons mostly occur naturally in the form of crude-oil. Crude oil occurs from the combination of certain minerals such as sulphur under extreme pressure. This was from the decomposition of small animals and plants life being compressed on the sea bed by over lying silt and sand. In decomposition, tiny bacteria usually act on remains of certain chemicals such as phosphorus, nitrogen and oxygen and what remains consist of carbon and hydrogen and there being insufficient oxygen beneath the earth’s surface it leads to formation of crude oil. The however occur other forms of natural hydrocarbons in the form of aliphatic, aromatic, halogenated or oxygenated hydrocarbons. The structures of these hydrocarbons depends on their chemical bonds. Aliphatic are formed from the chemical degradation of fats and oils. Aliphatic compounds consist of alkanes, alkenes and alkynes. This is based on the nature of bonds they possess (Carbon to Carbon Bonds) alkanes have single bonds, alkenes have a carbon to carbon double bonds while alkynes have carbon to carbon triple bonds. On the other hand aromatic hydrocarbons are obtained from chemical degradation of certain pleasant-smelling plant extracts. Most of these compounds have come to be known to possess the benzene ring structure examples of aromatic hydrocarbons are benzene, toluene, and naphthalene. Halogenated hydrocarbons, is formed from acidic salt lake sediments. This occurs in acidic conditions of pH 3.8-4.8

REFERENCES
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– Hydrocarbon Chemical Compound- Francis A. Carey.
– Halogenated hydrocarbon formation in a moderately acidic salt lake in Western Australia by A Ruecker; P Weigold ; S Behrens.
Nair, A. N., Anand, P., George, A., & Mondal, N. (2022). A review of strategies and their effectiveness in reducing indoor airborne transmission and improving indoor air quality. Environmental Research, 213, 113579.