For Health Professionals and Industry
Residential Indoor Air Quality Guidelines
Health Canada's risk assessment and management guidelines on indoor air pollutants were issued in 1987, and are presently under review. New guidelines will be posted on this website as additional substances are assessed.
The guidelines below indicate acceptable long and short-term exposure ranges for common indoor air pollutants. Further technical reports on Indoor Air Quality are available in the Resources section
Summary of Exposure Limits
| Contaminant |
Exposure limits or recommendations |
Date of issue |
| Formaldehyde |
8 hours: 50 μg/m3
(40 ppb)
1 hour: 123 μg/m3
(100 ppb) |
2006 |
| Mould |
Health Canada recommends:
- To control humidity and diligently repair any water damage in residences to prevent mould growth; and
- To clean thoroughly any visible or concealed mould growing in residential buildings.
|
2007 |
| Carbon Monoxide |
≤ 11 ppm per 8-hour average concentration
≤25 ppm per 1 hour average concentration |
1987 |
| Nitrogen Dioxide |
Long-term: ≤100 μg/m3 (≤0.05 ppm)
Short-term: ≤480 μg/m3 (≤0.25 ppm) per one hour concentration |
1987 |
| Ozone |
≤240 μg/m3 (≤0.12 ppm) per one hour concentration |
1987 |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) |
Long term: ≤40 μg/m3
Short-term (one hour): ≤100 μg/m3 per one hour concentration |
1987 |
Other Resourses:
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