scholarly journals Integrating Personal Air Sensor and GPS to Determine Microenvironment-Specific Exposures to Volatile Organic Compounds

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5659
Author(s):  
Michael S. Breen ◽  
Vlad Isakov ◽  
Steven Prince ◽  
Kennedy McGuinness ◽  
Peter P. Egeghy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Volatile Organic

Personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor sources including consumer products is an understudied public health concern. To develop and evaluate methods for monitoring personal VOC exposures, we performed a pilot study and examined time-resolved sensor-based measurements of geocoded total VOC (TVOC) exposures across individuals and microenvironments (MEs). We integrated continuous (1 min) data from a personal TVOC sensor and a global positioning system (GPS) logger, with a GPS-based ME classification model, to determine TVOC exposures in four MEs, including indoors at home (Home-In), indoors at other buildings (Other-In), inside vehicles (In-Vehicle), and outdoors (Out), across 45 participant-days for five participants. To help identify places with large emission sources, we identified high-exposure events (HEEs; TVOC > 500 ppb) using geocoded TVOC time-course data overlaid on Google Earth maps. Across the 45 participant-days, the MEs ranked from highest to lowest median TVOC were: Home-In (165 ppb), Other-In (86 ppb), In-Vehicle (52 ppb), and Out (46 ppb). For the two participants living in single-family houses with attached garages, the median exposures for Home-In were substantially higher (209, 416 ppb) than the three participant homes without attached garages: one living in a single-family house (129 ppb), and two living in apartments (38, 60 ppb). The daily average Home-In exposures exceeded the estimated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building guideline of 108 ppb for 60% of the participant-days. We identified 94 HEEs across all participant-days, and 67% of the corresponding peak levels exceeded 1000 ppb. The MEs ranked from the highest to the lowest number of HEEs were: Home-In (60), Other-In (13), In-Vehicle (12), and Out (9). For Other-In and Out, most HEEs occurred indoors at fast food restaurants and retail stores, and outdoors in parking lots, respectively. For Home-In HEEs, the median TVOC emission and removal rates were 5.4 g h−1 and 1.1 h−1, respectively. Our study demonstrates the ability to determine individual sensor-based time-resolved TVOC exposures in different MEs, in support of identifying potential sources and exposure factors that can inform exposure mitigation strategies.

scholarly journals Pulmonary Health Effects of Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds—A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle L. Alford ◽  
Naresh Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Income ◽  
Pulmonary Diseases ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Volatile Organic

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly found in consumer products, including furniture, sealants and paints. Thus, indoor VOCs have become a public health concern, especially in high-income countries (HICs), where people spend most of their time indoors, and indoor and outdoor air exchange is minimal due to a lack of ventilation. VOCs produce high levels of reaction with the airway epithelium and mucosa membrane and is linked with pulmonary diseases. This paper takes a stock of the literature to assess the strength of association (measured by effect size) between VOCs and pulmonary diseases with the focus on asthma and its related symptoms by conducting a meta-analysis. The literature was searched using the PubMed database. A total of 49 studies that measured VOCs or VOC types and pulmonary health outcomes were included in the analysis. The results of these studies were tabulated, and standard effect size of each study was computed. Most studies were conducted in high-income countries, including France (n = 7), Japan (n = 7) and the United States (n = 6). Our analysis suggests that VOCs have a medium-sized effect on pulmonary diseases, including the onset of asthma (effect size (or Cohen’s d) ~0.37; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.25–0.49; n = 23) and wheezing (effective size ~0.26; 95% CI = 0.10–0.42; n = 10). The effect size also varied by country, age and disease type. Multiple stakeholders must be engaged in strategies to mitigate and manage VOC exposure and its associated pulmonary disease burden.

Risk Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene (BTEX) in Consumer Products

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (22-24) ◽  
pp. 1502-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Kwang Lim ◽  
Han Seung Shin ◽  
Kyung Sil Yoon ◽  
Seung Jun Kwack ◽  
Yoon Mi Um ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Benzene Toluene

scholarly journals Assessment methodology for volatile organic compounds from leachate treatment and other waste handling activities

2019 ◽  
pp. 291-294
Author(s):  
Lennart Mårtensson ◽  
Lars Thörneby ◽  
Staffan Bergström ◽  
Diauddin Nammari ◽  
Lennart Mathiasson
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Vapour Phase ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Glycol Ethers ◽  
Leachate Treatment ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Treatment Procedures

Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are typically defined as those predominantly presentin the vapour phase in air at ambient temperature, They range in volatility from methaneto n-e 16 above and include all chemical groups - alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters,glycol ethers, halogens and hydrocarbons, Many of the voes are produced and emittedwhen organic matter decomposes from microbiological activity, A great number ofvolatile compounds been identified in the air in the vicinity of landfills, voes emittedfrom landfills pose as health concern and odour annoyance for the neighbourhood, Highconcentrations of voes have also been identified in the working environments at wastehandling facilities, Emissions of volatile organics from leachate, and how the treatmentsystem affects the fate of the voes have been reported, A variety of different samplingstrategies and sampling media can be used to address different monitoring requirements,including adsorption tubes and impingers with a suitable absorption solution, Finalanalysis of voes can be performed with a combination of thermodesorption ofadsorption tubes and Ge-MS, Model studies of the emission of voes from the watersurface, at the actual site in ponds or in the laboratory, can be performed in order tofacilitate budget calculations using a special designed hood, Results from analysis ofleachate before and after treatment procedures, using purge and trap methodology, showshow some identified voes such as for example benzene, toluene, xylen and trimethylbenzene are to some extent removed from the liquid,

scholarly journals Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (Anti-freezing Agents) in Decorative Water-based Paints Marketed in Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajoke F. Idayat Apanpa-Qasim ◽  
Adebola A. Adeyi
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Ethylene Glycol ◽  
Propylene Glycol ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Diethylene Glycol ◽  
Triethylene Glycol ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Water Based

Background. Consumer products such as paints are a potentially significant source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxygenated VOCs. Paints for construction and household use have been rapidly changing from oil-based to water-based paints and are one of the commonly identified sources of oxygenated VOCs in indoor environments. Objectives. Four different anti-freezing agents were identified and analyzed in 174 waterbased paint samples, purchased from popular paint markets in two metropolitan cities in Nigeria, Lagos and Ibadan. Methods. Paint samples were solvent extracted using acetonitrile and milli-Q water. Antifreezing agents in the extracts were identified and quantified using gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry and a GC-flame ionization detector, respectively. Discussion. Four different anti-freezing agents were identified in the samples, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol and propylene glycol. Their levels ranged from 1,000-1,980 ppm, diethylene glycol; 1,000–3,900 ppm, triethylene glycol; 1,090–2,510 ppm, propylene glycol and 1,350–2,710 ppm, ethylene glycol. Levels of anti-freezing agents in all of the paint samples were above the permissible limits of the European Union for VOCs in paints of 500 ppm. Results of multivariate statistical analyses clearly showed that triethylene glycol was the most commonly used anti-freezing agent in paints despite its numerous harmful health effects. Conclusions. We concluded that water-based paints marketed in Nigeria contain high concentrations of anti-freezing agents, which have harmful environmental and human health effects, especially to sensitive individuals such as children. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

scholarly journals Emissions of volatile organic compounds from polymer‐based consumer products: Comparison of three emission chamber sizes

Indoor Air ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Even ◽  
Christoph Hutzler ◽  
Olaf Wilke ◽  
Andreas Luch
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Volatile Organic

scholarly journals Assessment of residential exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-732
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Residential Exposure ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Potential Sources

There is increasing concern about indoor air pollution worldwide due to its adverse health effects. One of the predominant indoor air pollutant groups is assumed to be volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including a variety of hydrocarbons with different functional groups. Among VOCs, some species have carcinogenic effects, and some are widely used in many consumer products. CO2 is assumed to be an indicator of ventilation adequacy. Thus, elevated indoor CO2 levels are linked with the discomfort level of occupants. Residential exposure to VOCs and CO2 in 6 different homes located in 3 different towns in Canakkale, Turkey were assessed for about a year. Also, a home inventory was used to identify the potential sources of VOCs and CO2 as well as environmental concerns of the occupants. The highest levels of indoor CO2, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), benzene, toluene, and xylenes were found at industrial sampling sites. A connection between aspects of the outdoor environment (i.e. availability of potential sources) and residential exposure to air pollutants was found. Also, some activities (e.g. heating fuel type, house cleaning frequency, etc.) and factors (e.g. characteristics of the outdoor environment) influenced residential exposure to VOCs and CO2.

scholarly journals Turbulent exchange and segregation of HO<sub>x</sub> radicals and volatile organic compounds above a deciduous forest

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 24423-24476 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Dlugi ◽  
M. Berger ◽  
M. Zelger ◽  
A. Hofzumahaus ◽  
M. Siese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Proton Transfer Reaction ◽  
Eddy Covariance Method ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Gas Measurements

Abstract. The eddy covariance method was applied for the first time to estimate fluxes of OH and HO2 together with fluxes of isoprene, the sum of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) and the sum of monoterpenes above a mixed deciduous forest. Highly sensitive measurements of OH and HO2 were performed by laser induced fluorescence (LIF), and biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) were measured by Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) at a time resolution of 5 s, each. Wind speed was measured by a sonic anemometer at 10 Hz. The one-day feasibility study was conducted at a total height of 37 m, about 7 m above forest canopy, during the ECHO 2003 intensive field study in July 2003. The daytime measurements yielded statistically significant OH fluxes that indicate downward transport of OH into the direction of the canopy and HO2 fluxes mainly upward out of the canopy. This hints towards a significant chemical sink of OH by reaction with BVOCs and conversion of OH to HO2 at the canopy. In addition, the highly time-resolved trace gas measurements were used to calculate the intensity of segregation of OH and BVOCs, demonstrating that the effective reaction rate of isoprene and OH was slowed down as much as 15% due to inhomogeneous mixing of the reactants. The paper describes the applied methods and provides a detailed analysis of possible systematic errors of the covariance products.

Extending PTR based breath analysis to real-time monitoring of reactive volatile organic compounds

The Analyst ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (24) ◽  
pp. 7359-7367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Pugliese ◽  
Phillip Trefz ◽  
Beate Brock ◽  
Jochen K. Schubert ◽  
Wolfram Miekisch
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Bacterial Activity ◽  
Mass Spectrometric ◽  
Real Time Monitoring ◽  
Metabolic Processes ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Sulfur Containing

Direct time resolved mass spectrometric monitoring of reactive exhaled nitrogen- and sulfur-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) related to metabolic processes, diseases and bacterial activity.

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