Indoor air quality in the university libraries of Modena (Italy)

A survey was carried out in 16 libraries in Modena University (Northern Italy) to assess the indoor exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs were present in all the investigated libraries.The conclusion of that study is that no major problems were related to indoor pollution but the identification of the possible sources of contaminants is important, just as a definition of the relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of pollutants : that will take into account the effects of air recycling due to natural ventilation systems.