The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan have published the guideline values for14 chemical compounds including formaldehyde, toluene, xylenes etc., in order to solve theSick house syndrome problem. In this study, field measurements on indoor air quality wereconducted in newly-built houses which had not been occupied.The concentrations of aldehydes and VOCs, the ventilation rate, the emission rate offormaldehyde from each surface material, temperature and humidity were measured in threehouses in summer and in two houses in winter. The emission rate of formaldehyde from eachmaterial was measured by TEA-dish method developed by us.The results showed that the concentrations of formaldehyde measured were lower than theguidelines. However, when the concentrations of formaldehyde measured were converted intothe concentration under 25oC and 50%rh, it was found that some of the convertedconcentrations were higher than the guidelines. Regarding the relative emission rate offormaldehyde, the inside surfaces and the shelves of the closets measured in summer showedhigher values than the other surface, e.g. walls, ceilings and floors. The concentrations oftoluene, acetaldehyde and TVOC were higher than the guidelines.
Aldehydes and VOCs in newly-built unoccupied houses in Tokyo
![](https://www.aivc.org/sites/default/files/default_images/default_image_5.png)
Year:
2003
Bibliographic info:
Healthy Buildings 2003 - Proceedings 7th International Conference (7th-11th December 2003) - National University of Singapore - Vol. 1., pp 154-159, 7 Fig., 2 Tab., 4 Ref.