scholarly journals Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) as Index of Indoor Air Quality and Its Measuring and Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Masahiro Hori
PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258281
Author(s):  
Emer Duffy ◽  
Kati Huttunen ◽  
Roosa Lahnavik ◽  
Alan F. Smeaton ◽  
Aoife Morrin

Indoor air quality monitoring as it relates to the domestic setting is an integral part of human exposure monitoring and health risk assessment. Hence there is a great need for easy to use, fast and economical indoor air quality sensors to monitor the volatile organic compound composition of the air which is known to be significantly perturbed by the various source emissions from activities in the home. To meet this need, paper-based colorimetric sensor arrays were deployed as volatile organic compound detectors in a field study aiming to understand which activities elicit responses from these sensor arrays in household settings. The sensor array itself is composed of pH indicators and aniline dyes that enable molecular recognition of carboxylic acids, amines and carbonyl-containing compounds. The sensor arrays were initially deployed in different rooms in a single household having different occupant activity types and levels. Sensor responses were shown to differ for different room settings on the basis of occupancy levels and the nature of the room emission sources. Sensor responses relating to specific activities such as cooking, cleaning, office work, etc were noted in the temporal response. Subsequently, the colorimetric sensor arrays were deployed in a broader study across 9 different households and, using multivariate analysis, the sensor responses were shown to correlate strongly with household occupant activity and year of house build. Overall, this study demonstrates the significant potential for this type of simple approach to indoor air pollution monitoring in residential environments.


Author(s):  
Francis Abulude ◽  
Fagbayide Samuel Dare ◽  
Akinyinka Akinnusotu ◽  
Olatunde Elubode Makinde ◽  
Jamok Jacob Elisha

Air quality has been a major concern throughout the world, Nigeria inclusive. The monitoring of air quality involves indoor and outdoor air quality. In this study, our concern was on indoor air quality. The aim of this study was to assess the air quality of residential homes (17), classrooms (3), hospitals (2), offices (5), Shops (2), and laboratories (5) in Akure, Nigeria in terms of formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compound (TVOC), Particulate matter (PM1.0; PM2.5, and PM10). A Multifunction Air Detector was used for the assessment using the manufacturers’ procedures and the locations were identified using a Mini GPS. The results revealed as follows: HCHO (0.001-0.030 mg/m3), TVOC (0.003-362 mg/m3), PM1.0 (004-014 µg/m3), PM2.5 (006-020 µg/m3), and PM10 (006-022 µg/m3). The results obtained were below the 24 h pollution recommended standards (0.1 mg/m3- HCHO; TVOC; 10-20 μ/m3 PM) of EPA and WHO. Statistically, there were correlations within the pollutants and weather. The Indoor air quality (IAQ) depicted the areas as ‘good,’ and toxicity potential (TP) were below unity. Although the locations looked safe, it is recommended that constant monitoring of the indoors should be ensured and proper ventilation should be provided.


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