Interaction of volatile organic compounds with indoor materials - a small-scale screening method

Indoor air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may affect the health and well-being of inhabitants. Uptake and release of these comp ounds by and from indoor materials alter their concentrations in indoor air : uptake will lower peak concentrations, whereas subsequent (slow) release at lower concentration levels will prolong the presence of VOCs in indoor a ir. An experimental set-up has been implemented where indoor materials are placed as a "membrane" separating two air compartments. Both compartments - consisting of Field and Laboratory Emission Cells FLECs - are constantly h ushed with air, one air stream containing a mixture of 20 VOCs, and concent rations in both compartments are measured after 1 h. Ten materials usually covering extensive surfaces indoors were consecutively exposed to the vapou r mixture at concentration levels typically found in indoor environments. U nder the chosen experimental conditions, five of these materials exhibited a permeability high enough that VOCs could be detected on the other side. M ass transport of VOCs into and through indoor materials has therefore been confirmed by experiment. The set-up allows for a quick screening of indoor materials with respect to their sorption capacity and permeability. (C) 199 9 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.