Emissions of VOCs from building materials and the indoor air quality of a new naturally ventilated office building.

This study investigated the sources and concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde in the air of a new office and conference centre building. The building is naturally ventilated, and was designed to demonstrate a number of innovative approaches to environmental design. Occupant surveys have shown a high level of occupant satisfaction with the indoor environment. The building and furnishing materials were, however, quite typical of current office buildings; the building therefore represented a useful opportunity to study the emission of vocs from materials and to demonstrate methods of identifying the sources of specific compounds that are found in the air. As would be expected in a new building, a wide range of vocs and their sources were identified, but not at hazardous concentrations. The location with the highest total voc concentrations was measured at 141 1 μg/m3 when the building was first occupied. This declined rapidly but remained above 500 μg/m3 during the first year of monitoring. The chemical