The Indoor and Occupational Environment: From Exposure Assessment to Health Impact and Intervention

The indoor and occupational environments play a critical role in shaping human health and well-being. With people spending up to 90% of their time indoors—whether at home, in workplaces, schools, or other enclosed spaces—the quality of indoor environments has far-reaching implications for public and occupational health. These settings expose individuals to a complex mixture of physical, chemical and biological factors. Recent advancements in exposure science, building design, ventilation technologies, and occupational safety have improved our understanding of the links between environmental exposures and health. However, significant gaps remain in characterizing complex exposure patterns, understanding long-term and cumulative health impacts, and developing effective, scalable interventions. The emergence of new challenges—such as climate change, increased use of synthetic materials, and evolving patterns of remote work—further underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches that integrate exposure assessment, epidemiology, toxicology, risk communication, and policy.

The goal of this Research Topic is to present a comprehensive collection of papers that synthesize current state-of-the-art knowledge, identify critical research gaps, and offer actionable recommendations for future research and interventions in the field of indoor and occupational environments and exposure.

Suitable themes for manuscripts include, but are not limited to:

1. Exposure Assessment and Monitoring;

2. Health Impacts of Indoor and Occupational Exposures;

3. Built Environment and Indoor Quality;

4. Climate Change and Indoor/Occupational Exposures;

5. Occupational Safety and Prevention;

6. Policy, Regulation, and Risk Communication.

This Research Topic was launched in collaboration with the European Chapter of the International Society of Exposure Science's (ISES Europe) Annual Workshop. The workshop will be held on 20-22 October 2025, in Lisbon, with the theme 'Exposure Science: Tackling Today’s Environmental, Health Challenges and Policy Needs.' We welcome submissions from speakers, attendees and the broader research community.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: ISES, indoor environment, occupational environment, exposure assessment, exposure monitoring, built environment, indoor quality

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.