According to the EPA, indoor levels of pollutants are often 2-5 times and up to 100 times higher than outdoor levels and people spend ~90% of their time indoors. The primary causes of poor indoor air quality are pollution sources that emit irritating or dangerous gases and particles. The sources of indoor air pollution can be fuel burning appliances, cooking and cigarette smoke, household cleaning items, and outgassing of organics from building materials and furniture. Exposure of these indoor pollutants can result in compromised health and occasionally even death. In this Phase I SBIR project, TDA Research (TDA) will address this need by developing a high efficiency adsorption system for removing contaminants/toxins commonly found in indoor air including HCN, NH3, NO2, CO, and VOCs to sub ppb levels (well below the EPA permissible exposure level to comply with WHO recommendations to reduce the incidence of cancer) to achieve risk based indoor air-standards. Our system will feature a proprietary sorbent that offers superior adsorption capacities for common contaminants such as VOCs (including formaldehyde and in particular chlorinated compounds), and NO2, and with estimated lifetimes of 2-2.5 years, much greater than those offered by current devices that have activated carbon filters that need to be changed every 3-12 months. Our system will also feature a long- life ambient temperature catalyst that will be used to oxidize dangerous carbon monoxide into CO2 (a feature currently not offered by current systems in the market).
Public Health Relevance Statement: Narrative Typical indoor air pollutants include CO, VOCs, nitrogen oxides, benzene, and formaldehyde. As people spend ~90% of their time indoors, the EPA considers indoor air pollution to be one of the top five environmental risks to public health (EPA 2019). Particularly important are chlorinated VOCs, which are known to increase the risk of cancer from 1 in a million to 1 in 100,000 at 4 ppb, typical concentrations observed in indoor air (WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected Pollutants 2010). Our technology will reduce the high risk VOCs and other common pollutants to less than 4 ppb to reduce health risks. Terms: Performance; pollutant; toxicant; Environmental Risk Factor; Environmental Factor; environmental risk; Devices; Excision; Abscission; Extirpation; Removal; Surgical Removal; resection; portability; Drops; Data; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Preparation; preparations; Modification; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; NIEHS; water vapor; design; designing; manufacturing facility; manufacturing plants; production plants; neurotoxic; volatile organic compound; volatile organic chemical; prototype; commercialization; high risk; operation; operations; high efficiency particulate air filter; HEPA Filter; HEPA Filtration; HEPA cleaner; high efficiency particulate air cleaner; high-efficiency particulate air purifier; indoor pollutant; indoor air pollutant; indoor exposure; building materials; Formulation; Inhalation; Inhaling; cigarette smoke; Home; homes; indoor air; indoor concentrations; indoor levels; indoor measurement; indoor values; manufacture; fabrication; Adsorption; Air; Aircraft; Respiratory Aspiration; Respiratory Inspiration; inspiration; Breathing; Benzol; Benzole; Cyclohexatriene; Benzene; Cancers; Malignant Tumor; malignancy; neoplasm/cancer; Malignant Neoplasms; Carbon; CO2; Carbonic Anhydride; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Monoxide; Certification; Dangerousness; Death; Cessation of life; Dedications; economic; Economics; electronic; electronic device; Electronics; Engineering; Environment; Filtration Fractionation; Filtration; Formic Aldehyde; Methyl Aldehyde; Oxomethane; Formaldehyde; Furniture; Gases; Government; Health; Household; Incidence; Industry; Marketing; Metals; Persons; Nitrogen Dioxide; NO2; Nitrogen Peroxide; Nitrogen Oxides; oxidation; pressure; Public Health; Recommendation; Research; Risk; Schools; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Time; Toxin; Weight; weights; indoor air contamination; Indoor Air Pollution; Indoor Air Quality; Job Location; Job Place; Job Setting; Job Site; Work Location; Work Place; Work-Site; Worksite; work setting; Workplace; Guidelines; catalyst; Pump; Phase; Chemicals; Evaluation; integrated system; system integration; Systems Integration; Space Craft; Spacecraft; Recycling; Collaborations; cooking; Life; Pollution; irritation; Source; Techniques; System; 3-D; 3D; three dimensional; 3-Dimensional; Particulate; cancer risk; experience; particle
