Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are pervasive indoor air pollutants. This paper systematically evaluates 25 years (1991–2016) of investigations of VOCs within indoor environments in Australia. Among 31 papers evaluated, the most frequently studied environment was domestic housi...

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Main Authors: Goodman, N., Steinemann, A., Wheeler, Amanda, Paevere, P., Cheng, M., Brown, S.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Pergamon 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72762
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author Goodman, N.
Steinemann, A.
Wheeler, Amanda
Paevere, P.
Cheng, M.
Brown, S.
author_facet Goodman, N.
Steinemann, A.
Wheeler, Amanda
Paevere, P.
Cheng, M.
Brown, S.
author_sort Goodman, N.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are pervasive indoor air pollutants. This paper systematically evaluates 25 years (1991–2016) of investigations of VOCs within indoor environments in Australia. Among 31 papers evaluated, the most frequently studied environment was domestic housing (61%), and the most frequently quantified compound was formaldehyde (81%). Active sampling techniques were used in 82% of studies of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), and in 38% of studies of formaldehyde and other carbonyls. New homes had the highest VOC levels among all studies of domestic housing. For nearly all pollutants, indoor levels were several times higher than outdoor levels. Among the most prevalent compounds indoors were terpenes, such as d-limonene and a-pinene. All studies were conducted at a regional or local level, and no study reported statistically representative indoor VOC data for the Australian population. The evaluation revealed a diversity of sampling approaches and techniques, pointing to the importance of a standard approach for collecting and reporting data.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-727622018-12-13T09:31:56Z Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia Goodman, N. Steinemann, A. Wheeler, Amanda Paevere, P. Cheng, M. Brown, S. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are pervasive indoor air pollutants. This paper systematically evaluates 25 years (1991–2016) of investigations of VOCs within indoor environments in Australia. Among 31 papers evaluated, the most frequently studied environment was domestic housing (61%), and the most frequently quantified compound was formaldehyde (81%). Active sampling techniques were used in 82% of studies of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), and in 38% of studies of formaldehyde and other carbonyls. New homes had the highest VOC levels among all studies of domestic housing. For nearly all pollutants, indoor levels were several times higher than outdoor levels. Among the most prevalent compounds indoors were terpenes, such as d-limonene and a-pinene. All studies were conducted at a regional or local level, and no study reported statistically representative indoor VOC data for the Australian population. The evaluation revealed a diversity of sampling approaches and techniques, pointing to the importance of a standard approach for collecting and reporting data. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72762 10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.05.033 Pergamon restricted
spellingShingle Goodman, N.
Steinemann, A.
Wheeler, Amanda
Paevere, P.
Cheng, M.
Brown, S.
Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia
title Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia
title_full Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia
title_fullStr Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia
title_full_unstemmed Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia
title_short Volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in Australia
title_sort volatile organic compounds within indoor environments in australia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72762