scholarly journals Variability of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) in the Indoor Air of Retail Stores

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 4622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia ◽  
Cao ◽  
Valaulikar ◽  
Fu ◽  
Sorin
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Retail Stores ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Systematic Understanding ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Comfort Parameters

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released to the indoor air of retail stores from numerous products and activities, but available literature lacks a systematic understanding of the variability of VOC concentrations. In this study, we measured concentrations of total VOCs (TVOC) in 32 retail stores using a high-sensitivity photoionization detector (PID). Indoor thermal comfort parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity, were simultaneously measured using an anemometer. The store-level TVOC concentrations ranged from 30 to 869 ppb and exceeded the LEED guideline in 31 stores. TVOC levels were notably high in hardware stores (median = 536 ppb, p = 0.0002) and paints, household, and home accessories sections within stores (p < 0.05). TVOC levels were elevated in mornings and evenings, possibly due to low ventilation and cleaning activities at the beginning and end of business hours. The between-store, within-store, and temporal variations accounted for 85%, 0.5%, and 14% of the total variance, respectively. The variance structure suggested that in-store VOC concentrations were predominantly driven by their source location, and representative monitoring should first consider covering various store types. Current store VOC levels present health concerns, but further studies are needed to evaluate risks among customers.

scholarly journals Passive Sampling Method for Total Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Takahiro ISHIZAKA ◽  
Ayato KAWASHIMA ◽  
Naoki HISHIDA ◽  
Noriaki HAMADA
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Passive Sampling ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds

scholarly journals Determination of VOCs in the Indoor Air of a New and a Renovated Apartment

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Meciarova ◽  
Silvia Vilcekova
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Uv Lamp ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Flooring Materials ◽  
Qualitative Determination

Abstract This study deals with the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the indoor environment of a new and a renovated apartment. Qualitative determination of VOCs was carried out with a gas chromatograph with surface acoustic wave detector (GC/SAW). Concentrations of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were determined by a photoionization detector with UV lamp. Simultaneously, temperature and relative humidity were monitored with a data logger. The aim of this study was to determine of TVOC concentrations, to use of GC/SAW for determination of individual VOCs in indoor air as well as to predict possible sources of VOCs in these apartments. Measurements were performed after each construction work for better resolution of the contributions of individual materials to the levels of VOC. Mean concentrations of TVOC were 624 μg/m3 in the renovated apartment and 1,686 μg/m3 in the new apartment after completion of all works. The results from the renovated apartment showed that the use of new materials can lead to lower levels of organic compounds in indoor air compared to old materials that were less environmentally friendly. Many types of VOCs were found in both apartments. After reviewing the possible sources, it seems that the main sources of these substances were applied coatings and flooring materials.

scholarly journals Effects of Night Ventilation on Indoor Air Quality in Educational Buildings—A Field Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4056
Author(s):  
Sami Lestinen ◽  
Simo Kilpeläinen ◽  
Risto Kosonen ◽  
Maria Valkonen ◽  
Juha Jokisalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Educational Buildings ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Night Ventilation

Night ventilation methods have been used in educational buildings to guarantee indoor air quality at the beginning of occupied periods. A typical method has been to pre-start ventilation 2 h before the space usage. Another selection has been to ventilate a building continuously during the night with a minimum airflow rate that can dilute material emissions. In this study, the pre-started, continuous, and intermittent ventilation methods were compared by assessing indoor air quality in field measurements. The daytime ventilation was operating normally. The test periods lasted for 2 weeks. Indoor air quality was assessed by measuring the total volatile organic compounds and microbial concentrations using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Additionally, the thermal conditions, carbon dioxide, and pressure differences over the building envelope were measured. The results show that the night ventilation strategy had negligible effects on microbial concentrations. In most cases, the indoor air microbial concentrations were only a few percent of those found outdoors. The averaged concentration of total volatile organic compounds was at the same level with all the night ventilation methods at the beginning of the occupied periods in the mornings. The concentrations reached a minimum level after 2-h ventilation. The concentrations of total volatile organic compounds were higher during the day than at night. This reveals that space usage had the largest effect on the total volatile organic compounds. Generally, the results show that continuous night ventilation does not significantly affect the biological and chemical contaminants. Consequently, a 2-h flushing period is long enough to freshen indoor air before occupancy.

Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) in Indoor Air Quality Investigations*

Indoor Air ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 225-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Molhave ◽  
G. Clausen ◽  
B. Berglund ◽  
J. Ceaurriz ◽  
A. Kettrup ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Total Volatile Organic Compounds
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