Emission Rates of Volatile Organic Compounds Released from Newly Produced Household Furniture Products Using a Large-Scale Chamber Testing Method

Abstract

The emission rates of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured to investigate the emission characteristics of five types of common furniture products using a 5 m3 size chamber at 25°C and 50% humidity. The results indicated that toluene and α-pinene are the most dominant components. The emission rates of individual components decreased constantly through time, approaching the equilibrium emission level. The relative ordering of their emission rates, if assessed in terms of total VOC (TVOC), can be arranged as follows: dining table > sofa > desk chair > bedside table > cabinet. If the emission rates of VOCs are examined between different chemical groups, they can also be arranged in the following order: aromatic (AR) > terpenes (TER) > carbonyl (CBN) > others > paraffin (PR) > olefin (HOL) > halogenated paraffin (HPR). In addition, if emission strengths are compared between coated and uncoated furniture, there is no significant difference in terms of emission magnitude. Our results indicate that the emission characteristics of VOC are greatly distinguished between different furniture products in terms of relative dominance between different chemicals.

Correlation between Novel Potential Indoor Risk Factors and Frequency of Doctor's Visit for Respiratory Problem in Taiwan's Tropical Environment

“…Second, previous studies on wooden furniture, particularly chipboard furniture, detected high emission of chemicals, including formaldehyde and other volatile organic compound (VOC), from the furniture. [12][13][14][15] Similar results were observed in wooden constructions and furniture with chemical coatings. 13,16 It can therefore be theorized that wooden constructions and furniture can also possibly serve as a source of indoor VOC.…”

“…[13][14][15] In particular, chipboard, or as some studies referred to as particleboard, is identified by numerous studies as a common source of indoor VOCs and formaldehyde emission. 12,14,15 Additionally, some studies on VOCs emission underscore the potential for furniture coatings to emit significant levels of indoor VOCs, 16 particular under highly humid conditions where water-solvent chemical coatings can be dissolved in and dispersed with the ambient water vapor. Considering Taiwan's high average humidity and commonality of chemically-treated furniture, mostly made up of low-quality chipboard panels, it can be inferred that wooden furniture would be a major source of indoor VOCs among Taiwanese households.…”

Evaluation of a real-time method for monitoring volatile organic compounds in indoor air in a Japanese university

“…Menzies et al [19] measured the TVOC concentrations in two office buildings (A, B) in Montreal at two ventilation levels. They took measurements during working hours (8 h) using the solid sorbent tube (charcoal) method from mid-April to late-May.…”

Derivatization techniques for determination of carbonyls in air

“…CCs are produced and emitted by various man-made activities and sources, such as cooking [6], household furniture [7], biomassfuel combustion [8], beverage containers [9], disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water [10], and industrial sources [11]. The environmental significance of biogenic (flora) sources has also been recognized [5,12].…”