English

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.

 The trend towards natural ventilation and low energy cooling systems is affecting the ways in which engineers design and operate heating systems in low energy buildings