Ingenious: UnderstandING the sourcEs, traNsformations and fates of IndOor air pollUtantS

In high-income countries like the UK, where people spend 90% of their time indoors—two-thirds of which is in their homes—indoor air quality (IAQ) is a critical yet under-addressed concern. Current air pollution regulations primarily target outdoor environments, overlooking the significant health impacts of indoor air pollution. Existing research often relies on fixed outdoor monitoring, which fails to account for the unique conditions of indoor microenvironments where people spend most of their time.

This gap in understanding creates large uncertainties about human exposure to indoor pollutants and hampers efforts to develop effective solutions for minimizing exposure. The INGENIOUS addresses these issues by providing a thorough analysis of indoor pollution in UK homes. It focuses on identifying key sources of indoor pollutants relevant to the UK, examining the variability between homes in an ethnically diverse urban city, with a focus on deprived areas. Moreover, it seeks to identify the effects of pollutant transformation indoors to generate by-products that may adversely affect health and the drivers of behaviours that impact indoor air pollution. This holistic approach will be utilized in recommending interventions to improve IAQ.