What is Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)?
The public is probably more familiar with the terms “Indoor Air Quality” and “Sick Building Syndrome.” “Indoor Air Quality,” as the name implies, simply refers to the quality of the air in an office environment. “Sick Building Syndrome” is a term many people use to convey a wide range of symptoms they believe can be attributed to the building itself. Workers typically implicate the workplace environment because their symptoms are alleviated when they leave the office. NIOSH prefers to use the term “Indoor Environmental Quality” (or IEQ) to describe the problems occurring in office buildings and schools throughout the nation. The Institute, through its Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program, evaluates potential health hazards in workplaces in response to requests from employers, employees, employee representatives, state and local government agencies, and Federal agencies. NIOSH investigators have found that concerns about air quality may be caused by a number of factors, encompassing m
