IAQ

IAQ is the acronym for Indoor Air Quality.

This refers to the overall quality of the interior air in a building, as distinct from:
 * Outdoor air - and the pollution that goes with city living. Although obviously outdoor air is drawn into the buildings, and therefore outdoor pollution plays a part in indoor air quality.
 * Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) which is the chief polluting component of most poorly ventilated buildings.

The tobacco industry spent millions of dollars trying to prove to the legislators and to the public that ETS was only a minor component of indoor air, when common-sense and independent scientific studies showed that it was the major IAQ problem.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Secondhand smoke