VOCs in Indoor Air

Armin Wisthaler
Norsk institutt for luftforskning
Norsk Innemiljorganisasjon, 17.04.2012
Indoor air and health
A series of health symptoms and health effects have been
associated with poor indoor air quality:
respiratory and ocular mucosa irritation
nausea, dizziness
headache, fatigue
increased sensitivity to odors
asthma and allergic airway disease
cancer
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Exposure to indoor VOCs has been suggested as one of the
potential causes for the observed health symptoms/effects in
the indoor environment.
VOCs are gaseous, carbon-containing chemical compounds.
Hundreds/Thousands of VOCs have been found in indoor air at
ppt-to-ppm (10
-12
-10
-6
v/v) levels.
Indoor air contains a broader variety and higher levels of VOCs
than outdoor air.
Exposure to indoor VOCs includes peak exposures to selected
VOC (e.g. solvents from fresh paint) and low-level chronic
exposure to complex mixtures of VOCs.
Sources of indoor VOCs
building materials: paints, flooring
and wall materials, HVAC materials,
adhesives/varnishes
furnishing: furniture, fabrics,
electronic equipment (TV sets,
monitors, PCs, printers, ...)
consumer products: cleaning agents,
air freshener, perfumes/cosmetics
human activities: cooking, heating
(open fireplace)
living organisms: humans, pets,
plants, bacteria, mold/fungi
taken from: Organic Indoor Air Pollutants, 2009
VOCs from paints
taken from: Indoor Air Quality Handbook, 2001
but: unspecified
VOCs from paints
taken from: Indoor Air Quality Handbook, 2001
VOC emissions over time
early emissions (hours) peak exposure
mid-term emissions (days)
late emissions (weeks)
long-term emissions (months) chronic long-term exposure
Wolkoff, 1998
VOCs from floor and wall covers
carpets
flooring (PVC, linoleum, rubber, polyolefin, wood)
wall covers and panels (polystyrene, plywood, etc.)
adhesives, waxes, varnishes
VOCs from carpets, parquet wood
taken from: Indoor Air Quality Handbook, 2001
VOCs from vinyl flooring
Yu and Crump, 1998
C
13
(tridecane)
TXIB (2.2.4-trimethyl-1.3-pentanediol diisobutyrate)
steady-state
VOCs from floor varnish
Wolkoff, 1998
odor threshold: 47 g/m
3

VOCs from human activities
cooking, heating, cleaning,..
taken from: Organic Indoor Air Pollutants, 2009
Indoor concentrations of VOCs
fundamental parameters: emission rate / ventilation rate
figure courtesy: C. Weschler
Ventilation and indoor air quality
To increase buildings energy efficiency, ventilation rates
tend to decrease (improved air tightness, natural or hybrid
ventilation).
Reduced ventilation rates cause indoor VOC levels to
increase.
The use of low/zero-VOC materials/products becomes
essential.
figure courtesy: C. Weschler
Traditional VOC emission research
- temperature
- relative humidity
- air exchange rate
- air velocity
- loading factor (surface-to-volume ratio)
material
product
VOC
taken from:
Organic Indoor Air Pollutants, 2009
Examples of emission test chambers
Indoor VOCs and reactive chemistry
Indoor air has has traditionally been viewed as an
unreactive matrix (VOC source: materials/products;
VOC sink: ventilation)
material
product
VOC
primary
R
VOC
secondary
material
product
R
VOC
*
*
only emitted in the presence of R

Indoor VOCs and reactive chemistry
O
3

OH

NO
2

NO
3

HNO
2

N
2
O
5

Products of indoor chemistry
Reactive indoor VOC chemistry forms oxidized, nitrated,
nitrosated compounds, including mono- and multi-functional
species.
Products of indoor chemistry are anticipated to be more harmful
than primary VOCs.
Products of indoor chemistry are difficult to measure with
traditional analytical techniques.
Nucleation condensation
O
3
+ primary
emission
Products of indoor chemistry
Indoor ozone chemistry forms particles.
figure courtesy: C. Weschler
Ozone + >C=C<
Products of indoor chemistry
styrene / terpenes /terpenoids
target products reference
carpet aldehydes
Weschler et al., 1992
Morrison and Nazaroff, 2002
Wang and Morrison, 2006
Latex paint
low VOC paint (lineseed oil)
formaldehyde, aldehydes
aldehydes, organic acids
Reiss et al., 1995a,b
Wang and Mossiron, 2006
Andersson et al., 1996
HVAC materials
(neoprene gasket, duct liner, duct sealants)
aldehydes
Morrison et al., 1998
green building materials
(clay paint, miner fiber tile, fabric wall panel,
recycled carpet, hardwood floor, resilient tile,
clay tile)
aldehydes
Lamble et al., 2011
wood and wood products, polymeric materials,....
odors
contact allergens
limonene oxidation products (e.g. Nilsson et al.,1996)
eye irritants
terpene/ozone oxidation products (e.g. Kleno and Wolkoff, 2004)
airway irritants
terpene/ozone oxidation products (e.g. Wolkoff et al., 2000, Wolkoff and Niesen, 2001)

Products of indoor chemistry
Summary
A multitude of indoor VOC sources causes peak VOC
exposures (e.g. fresh paint) and chronic long-term
exposures to mixtures of VOCs.
The use of low/zero-VOC materials/products is
recommended.
Reducing the ventilation rate increases indoor VOC
concentrations.
The introduction of highly reactive compounds into
the indoor environment should be avoided.