Question:medium
Which of the following does NOT cause indoor air pollution?
Which of the following does NOT cause indoor air pollution?
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Three are real indoor pollutants; the odd one out is an anaesthetic gas, not the nitrogen oxide from gas stoves.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Nitrous oxide
- Radon
- Mercury vapour
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
This item tests recognition of common indoor air pollutants. The list of agents that contaminate the air inside homes includes products of fuel combustion, radioactive soil gases, tobacco smoke and vapours from household items. Carbon monoxide qualifies because it forms whenever fuel burns incompletely on stoves and heaters. Radon is an inert radioactive gas that rises from the ground and accumulates indoors, and it is a well-documented cause of lung cancer linked to indoor exposure. Mercury vapour enters indoor air from cracked thermometers, fluorescent tubes and some older paints, so it too is an indoor contaminant. The remaining choice, nitrous oxide, is not part of the standard indoor air pollution list. Among nitrogen oxides, it is nitrogen dioxide produced by gas appliances that is the indoor concern, whereas nitrous oxide is chiefly an anaesthetic and greenhouse gas. By elimination, the agent that does not belong is nitrous oxide. \[\boxed{\text{Nitrous oxide}}\]
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