Case Study of Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air of a House before and after Repair where Sick Building Syndrome Occurred

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 69-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Harada ◽  
K. Hara ◽  
C.N. Wei ◽  
S. Ohmori ◽  
O. Matsushita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Sick Building

scholarly journals Impact of Air-Purifying Plants on the Reduction of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Indoor Hot Desert Climate

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nahla Al Qassimi ◽  
Chuloh Jung
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Ficus Benjamina ◽  
Indoor Space ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Reduction Effect ◽  
Desert Climate

Due to hot desert weather, residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spend 90% of their time indoors, and the interior environment of the newly built apartments with inappropriate material and ventilation is causing sick building syndrome (SBS), faster than in any other country. NASA studies on indoor air pollutants indicate that the usage of 15–18 air-purifying plants in 18–24 cm diameter containers can clean the air in an average 167.2 m2 house (approximately one plant per 9.2 m2). This study investigates the effect of three different types of air-purifying plants, Pachira aquatica, Ficus benjamina, and Aglaonema commutatum, in reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde (CH2O) in hot desert climate. An experiment is performed in which the CH2O and VOCs concentrations are measured in two laboratory spaces (Room 1 and Room 2). Different volumes (5 and 10% of the laboratory volume) of target plants are installed in Room 1, whereas Room 2 is measured under the same conditions without plants for comparison. The results show that the greater the planting volume (10%), the greater is the reduction effect of each VOCs. In summer in hot desert climate, the initial concentration (800 µg/cm3) of CH2O and VOCs is higher, and the reduction amount is higher (534.5 µg/cm3) as well. The reduction amount of CH2O and toluene (C7H8) is particularly high. In the case of C7H8, the reduction amount (45.9 µg/cm3) is higher in summer with Aglaonema commutatum and Ficus benjamina. It is statistically proven that Ficus benjamina is most effective in reducing CH2O and C7H8 in an indoor space in hot desert climate. The findings of this study can serve as basic data for further improving the indoor air quality using only air-purifying plants in hot desert climate of the United Arab Emirates.

scholarly journals A Case Study: The Effect of Flooring Renovation with Adsorptive Cloth on the Residual Emissions of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and C9-C10 Alcohols

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 23009
Author(s):  
Miia J. Pitkäranta ◽  
Timo Lehtimaa
Keyword(s):  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Determination Limit ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Surface Emission ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Storey Building ◽  
Air Concentrations

This paper presents a renovation case study of a multi-storey building with initially elevated indoor air concentrations of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and C9-C10 alcohols originating from PVC flooring. The main aim of the study was to determine the effectivity of renovation that included the use of a novel renovation material, cTrap adsorption cloth, in reducing the surface emissions and indoor air concentrations of the named compounds. Indoor air concentrations and surface emission rates of volatile organic compounds (VOC) were measured in the case building before and after renovation according to ISO16000-6 and NT Build 484 standards. The results show that the measured indoor air concentrations of the alcohols decreased to ca. 1/10 of the original concentration, and the surface emission rates dropped below the determination limit after the renovation.

Sick Building Syndrome Symptoms among the Staff in Schools and Kindergartens: are the Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds and Carbon Dioxide Responsible?

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-235
Author(s):  
Stefan Willers ◽  
Sven Andersson ◽  
Rolf Andersson ◽  
Jörgen Grantén ◽  
Christina Sverdrup ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Sick Building

Joint representation of physical locations and volatile organic compounds in indoor air from a healthy and a sick building

1988 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot Noma ◽  
Birgitta Berglund ◽  
Ulf Berglund ◽  
Ingegerd Johansson ◽  
John C. Baird
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Sick Building ◽  
Joint Representation

Fungal Volatile Organic Compounds: More Than Just a Funky Smell?

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-116
Author(s):  
Arati A. Inamdar ◽  
Shannon Morath ◽  
Joan W. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Agricultural Produce ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Sick Building ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting

Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with industry cause adverse health effects, but less is known about the physiological effects of biologically produced volatiles. This review focuses on the VOCs emitted by fungi, which often have characteristic moldy or “mushroomy” odors. One of the most common fungal VOCs, 1-octen-3-ol, is a semiochemical for many arthropod species and also serves as a developmental hormone for several fungal groups. Other fungal VOCs are flavor components of foods and spirits or are assayed in indirect methods for detecting the presence of mold in stored agricultural produce and water-damaged buildings. Fungal VOCs function as antibiotics as well as defense and plant-growth-promoting agents and have been implicated in a controversial medical condition known as sick building syndrome. In this review, we draw attention to the ubiquity, diversity, and toxicological significance of fungal VOCs as well as some of their ecological roles.

Sick building syndrome and total volatile organic compounds

2012 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. S94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emiko Todaka ◽  
Hiroko Nakaoka ◽  
Masamichi Hanazato ◽  
Hiroshi Seto ◽  
Chisato Mori
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Sick Building ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds

scholarly journals Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Wood and Wood-Based Panels: Methods for Evaluation, Potential Health Risks, and Mitigation

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tereza Adamová ◽  
Jaromír Hradecký ◽  
Miloš Pánek
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Analytical Determination ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The Impact

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are contained in various construction materials and interior equipment. Their higher concentrations in the indoor air are associated with negative effects on human health and are disputed in terms of health risk, since people spend a considerable part of their lifetime indoors. Therefore, the presence of VOCs in indoor air is a case of concern regarding sick building syndrome (SBS). From a historical point of view, wood and wood-based panels represent a widely used material. Nevertheless, wood appears to be nowadays a product and a material of a sustainable future. Depending on wood extractives’ composition and an abundance of diverse wood species, different profiles of volatiles are emitted. In case of wood-based panels, the impact of adhesives and additives that are essentially applied aiming to adjust the panels’ properties is even enriching this cocktail of chemicals. This paper comprises the issue of VOCs emitted from wood and wood-based panels. The most abundant VOCs were summarized. The options of VOCs for analytical determination from these matrixes are described with their benefits and limitations.

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