TVOC and Health in Non-industrial Indoor Environments. Report from a Nordic Scientific Consensus Meeting at Langholmen in Stockholm, 1996

Abstract

The presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in indoor air has in past decades often been associated with adverse health effects such as sensory irritation, odour and the more complex set of symptoms called the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). More recently, a possible link between the increase in the prevalence of allergies throughout the industrialized areas of the world and exposure to elevated concentrations of VOCs has been suggested. In many cases, the total VOC (TVOC) is used as a measure of the concentration of air pollution and, by extension, as a measure of the health risk in non‐industrial buildings. However, the TVOC concept has been questioned for a number of reasons, including the facts that it is an ambiguous concept, that individual VOCs making up the whole can be expected to give rise to different effects in people and that researchers have been using different definitions and interpretations of TVOC. This means that simple addition of the quantities of individual VOCs may not be relevant from a health point of view. Twelve researchers from the Nordic countries have reviewed the literature on VOC/TVOC and health. A search of the literature resulted in the identification of about 1100 articles, of which 120 were selected for further examination. A final review of the articles reduced their number to 67 that contained data on both exposure and health effects. The group concluded that indoor air pollution including VOC is most likely a cause of health effects and comfort problems in indoor environments in non‐industrial buildings. However, the scientific literature is inconclusive with respect to TVOC as a risk index for health and comfort effects in buildings. Consequently, there is at present an inadequate scientific basis on which to establish limit values/guidelines for TVOC, both for air concentrations, and for emissions from building materials. The group concluded that continued research is required to establish a risk index for health and comfort effects for VOC in non‐industrial buildings.

Prenatal and early life home environment exposure in relation to preschool children’s asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in Taiyuan, China

“…Zhang et al [23] in a study of 11 cities in Jiangxi Province in China showed a high level of formaldehyde 2 years after home remodeling, 0.138 mg/m 3 , decreased from 0.25 mg/m 3 at the time of remodeling. Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), although questioned as a health relevant measure [26], is another entity whose concentration is increased by household products and decoration. In a survey by Xu et al [24] on indoor TVOC in Chinese cities, the average TVOC level was 2.18±12.94 mg/m 3 in 982 residential homes.…”

Prevalence of Sick Building Syndrome-Related Symptoms among Hospital Workers in Confined and Open Working Spaces

“…However, the scientific literature is inconclusive with respect to TVOC as a risk index for health and comfort effects in buildings. Continued research is required to establish a risk index for health and comfort effects for TVOC (Andersson et al, 1997).…”

The Use of Indoor Air Measurements To Evaluate Intrusion of Subsurface VOC Vapors into Buildings

“…24,34 For example, TVOC concentrations in new and recently renovated buildings in Switzerland ranged from 1.6 to 31.7 mg/m 3 , and were particularly high in buildings with low ventilation rates. Many of the individual compounds detected had I/O ratios that were much higher than 1, and were attributed to materials such as glues, sealants, carpets, and paints.…”

“…Elevated VOC concentrations in indoor air have been associated with adverse health effects, such as sensatory irritation and a broad-ranging and complex set of symptoms known as sick building syndrome (SBS). 24 There are numerous indoor sources of VOCs, including building and construction products, furniture, carpets, textiles, household cleaners, sealants, glues, adhesives, paints, waxes, lubricants, heating systems (i.e., fuels), cooking vapors, human bioeffluents, personal care products, molds, and fungi. 25 Specific sources of indoor VOCs that are also common subsurface contaminants are listed in Table 3.…”