This report reviews research into the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from paints and coatings from two perspectives: (a) drying and film formation, and (b) voc emission into indoor air. The former has been investigated by the paint industry for some decades, especially in relation to understanding drying mechanisms to assist product formulation and development. The latter is of more recent interest and is directed to predicting and controlling the impact of VOC emissions from paints and coatings on indoor air quality.
This project dealt with developing the method of using activated carbon cloth as a sampler for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in air. Strips of carbon cloth mounted in slide holders were tested as diffusive samplers. These were exposed to known concentrations of standard chemicals in test chambers. The adsorbed chemicals were extracted with sol vents and analyzed. The tests showed that relative humidity has some effect on adsorption, and carbon cloths from different manufacturers showed some variation in their performance.
This materials odour emission project was conducted for the Task Force on Materials Emissions and four industry sponsors. The objectives of the project were to review material odour test methods, conduct comparative tests of various materials by the most applicable methods and to recommend test methods for materials odour emission characterization. The review identified six test methods which were then compared in a program of odour testing of 1 0 materials. Two test methods were quantitative odour intensity methods and four methods used perceived intensity and hedonic scales.
One of the first sorption-supported air-conditioning systems ("Desiccative Evaporative Cooling Systems") in an industrial building in Germany was installed in a printing office in Waiblingen, a town in southern Germany. The circumstances for such a system showed to be optimal, as the printing office is equipped with its own co-generation system delivering a considerable amount of waste heat. The experiences made with the system in the hot and humid summer of 1995 were very positive.
A great number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are found in the indoor air of office buildings, emitted mainly by the building materials, the consumer products used, the furnishing, office equipment, smoking, mechanical ventilation systems and outdoor air pollution. An attempt has been made to identify the strongest sources of VOCs in the indoor and outdoor air of six office buildings in Greece. Analysis of the results showed that the VOCs in the outdoor air were strongly related to the traffic in the area.
Concentrations of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored over a 2-year period in the main rooms of four unoccupied test houses and in the outdoor air. During the construction and furnishing of the buildings 30 samples of materials were collected and subsequently tested using environmental test chambers to determine amounts of form aldehyde and other VOCs emitted. Concentrations of VOCs in the building were initially high and declined quickly during the first 6 months after construction.