Sources of Indoor Pollutants

FYI
Toxin Sources
Particulates

Lead
• Old house paint (especially made before 1950) found
on interior and exterior of home; notably, window frames, window and door trim, railings, baseboards, radiators, walls
• Plumbing pipes and the service connection into homes (before 1950s)
• Solder used to join water pipes in modern homes
• Miscellaneous household items (ceramic pottery, lead crystal, hobby materials)

Asbestos
• Vinyl floor tiles and vinyl sheet flooring
• Patching compounds and textured paints
• Ceilings
• Pipe insulation and furnace ducts
• Wall and ceiling insulation

Dust
• Carpets
• Upholstered furniture
• Pets
• Fireplaces
• Smoking
• Heating ducts
• Doors, windows and air leaks that allow particles to enter from outdoors
• Exposed, worn or damaged surfaces on building materials such as particleboard or vinyl-asbestos flooring

Combustion Gases
• Carbon Monoxide
• Gas or oil furnaces
• Formaldehyde
• Boilers
• Nitrogen Dioxide
• Hot water heaters
• Sulfur Dioxide
• Gas fire places
• Carbon Dioxide
• Woodburning fireplaces
• Hydrogen Cyanide
• Coal-burning stoves
• Nitric Oxide
• Kitchen ranges
• Benzo(a)pyrene
• Clothes dryers
• Space heaters
• Wall heaters
• Central heating systems
• Kerosene space heaters

Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs)
Formaldehyde
• Composite wood products, including particle board, fiberboard, and plywood
• Furniture, cupboards, cabinets made from composite wood products
• Upholstery
• Carpeting
• Insulation
• Paints and finishes
• Glues, cleaners, waxes, and other household products

Pesticides
• Herbicide (weed killer, lawns and garden, turf, algae control)
• Insecticide (mosquito, flea, ant, roach, lice, mite, termite control; lawn treatment; pet products)
• Fungicide (paints, plastics, wood preservatives, grout, lawn treatment, carpet treatment)

Vinyl Chloride
• Municipal drinking waters
• PVC pipes
• Vinyl flooring
• Adhesives
• Swimming pools
• Upholstery
• Wall coverings
• Countertops

Radioactive Contaminates
Radon
• Floor drains and sumps
• Joints where basement walls and floor come together
• Cracks in basement walls and floors
• Holes in the foundation wall for pipes and wiring
• Exposed earth or rock surfaces in the basement
• Well water

Environmental Tobacco
Smoke (ETS)

• Cigarette, pipe, cigar, smoke
  exhaled from lungs of smoker
  Smoking in the house

Molds
• Basement or crawl space
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms
• In, and under, carpet and rugs on cold floors
• On window frames or below windows
• In, and on, furniture against outside walls
• Inside wall cavities where there is dampness or condensation
• In damp or unventilated storage areas
• Closets, especially ones adjacent to exterior walls.
• Around plumbing leaks
• Near roof or wall leaks

Moisture
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Laundry room
• Basements and crawl spaces

source: http://www.greendepot.com/resources/education

 

Excellent, thank you for posting this. This is the most complete list I have seen.