The effects of paints and moisture content on the indoor air emissions from pinewood ( Pinus sylvestris ) boards

Abstract

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials may significantly contribute to indoor air pollution, and VOCs have been associated with odor annoyance and adverse health effects. Wood materials together with coatings are commonly used indoors for furniture and large surfaces such as walls, floors, and ceilings. This leads to high surface‐to‐volume ratios, and therefore, these materials may participate remarkably to the VOC levels of indoor environment. We studied emissions of VOCs and carbonyl compounds from pinewood (Pinus sylvestris) boards of 10% and 16% moisture contents (MC) with three paints using small‐scale test chambers (27 L). The emissions from uncoated pinewood and paints (on a glass substrate) were tested as references. The 28‐day experiment showed that the VOC emissions from uncoated pinewood were lower from sample with 16% MC. Painted pinewood samples showed lower emissions compared to paints on glass substrate. Additionally, paints on 16% MC pinewood exhibited lower emissions than on drier 10% MC wood. The emissions from painted pinewood samples were dominated by paint‐based compounds, but the share of wood‐based compounds increased over time. However, we noticed differences between the paints, and wood‐based emissions were clearly higher with the most permeable paint.

Method Comparison for the Identification and Characterization of Odorants from Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Oriented Strand Boards (OSB) Made Thereof by GC-MS and GC-FID/O Using Different Headspace Techniques

“…Compounds in the chemical classes of bicyclic monoterpene, monocyclic monoterpene, acyclic monoterpene, monoterpenoid ketone, monoterpenoid aldehyde, aliphatic aldehyde, alcohol, acid, and phenol ethers were found. These results represent the volatile fraction of extractives in pine species and essential oils thereof, and the detected compounds are in alignment with reported results [17,34,[36][37][38][39], with the exception of myrtenal and 1-octanol. The occurrence of both compounds can, however, be expected due to degradation/conversion processes in plant species [12,40,41] as they were also detected previously by GC-O [42,43].…”

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted from Coated Furniture Units

“…Moisture content is also a well-known key parameter influencing overall coating quality and its service life as a function of species. In a past study, it was found that a lower moisture content of a unit increased VOCs emission such as aldehydes and methanol, whereas a higher moisture content resulted in more terpene emissions [38].…”

Indoor cooking and cleaning as a source of outdoor air pollution in urban environments

“…76–86 New furniture often produces higher emissions of these species, which tend to decrease as it ages. 76,79 Published emission rates from wood and paint for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal, pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal and decanal 76,79,81 have been averaged and added into the model informed by the surface-area to volume ratio of wooden and painted materials in a typical kitchen, 29,61,87 and are provided in Table S1 †. These aldehyde emission rates are assumed to remain constant throughout the simulation.…”

“…Wood and paint are commonly found in homes, and are known to emit indoor air pollutants, primarily short and long-chained aldehydes. [76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86] New furniture oen produces higher emissions of these species, which tend to decrease as it ages. 76,79 Published emission rates from wood and paint for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal, pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonanal and decanal 76,79,81 have been averaged and added into the model informed by the surface-area to volume ratio of wooden and painted materials in a typical kitchen, 29,61,87 and are provided in Table S1.…”