An official website of the United States government.

Due to a lapse in appropriations, EPA websites will not be regularly updated. In the event of an environmental emergency imminently threatening the safety of human life or where necessary to protect certain property, the EPA website will be updated with appropriate information. Please note that all information on the EPA website may not be up to date, and transactions and inquiries submitted to the EPA website may not be processed or responded to until appropriations are enacted.

We've made some changes to EPA.gov. If the information you are looking for is not here, you may be able to find it on the EPA Web Archive or the January 19, 2017 Web Snapshot.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Contact Us

Indoor Air Quality in Offices and Other Large Buildings

Indoor air quality (IAQ) problems are not limited to homes. In fact, many office buildings have significant air pollution sources. Some of these buildings may be inadequately ventilated. For example, mechanical ventilation systems may not be designed or operated to provide adequate amounts of outdoor air. Finally, people generally have less control over the indoor environment in their offices than they do in their homes. As a result, there has been an increase in the incidence of reported health problems.

ASHRAE Indoor Air Quality Design Guide Now Available for Free

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is now making the IAQ design guide and all of its reference materials available to the public at no cost through its website.

The Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning is designed for:

  • architects
  • design engineers
  • contractors
  • commissioning agents
  • all other professionals concerned with indoor air quality.

The Guide was developed in cooperation with:

  • The American Institute of Architects
  • The U.S. Green Building Council
  • The Builders and Owners Management Association International
  • The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors of North America
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Download a free copy of The Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning and all supporting files Exit

Consolidation between ASHRAE and the Indoor Air Quality Association Approved Exit

EPA's Green Building Portal

This site is a gateway to many different EPA programs to improve the environmental impacts of building and development. These include:

Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)