Real-world volatile organic compound emission rates from seated adults and children for use in indoor air studies

Abstract

Human beings emit many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of both endogenous (internally produced) and exogenous (external source) origin. Here we present realworld emission rates of volatile organic compounds from cinema audiences people) as a function of time in multiple screenings of three films. The cinema location and film selection allowed high-frequency measurement of human-emitted VOCs within a room flushed at a known rate so that emissions rates could be calculated for both adults and children. Gas-phase emission rates are analyzed as a function of time of day, variability during the film, and age of viewer. The average emission rates of CO 2 , acetone, and isoprene were lower (by a factor of ~1.2-1.4) for children under twelve compared to adults while for acetaldehyde emission rates were equivalent.Molecules influenced by exogenous sources such as decamethylcyclopentasiloxanes and methanol tended to decrease over the course of day and then rise for late evening screenings. These results represent average emission rates of people under real-world conditions and can be used in indoor air quality assessments and building design.Averaging over a large number of people generates emission rates that are less susceptible to individual behaviors. K E Y W O R D Scrowd breath, emission rate, indoor air quality, movie theatre, proton transfer reaction time-offlight mass spectrometry, volatile organic compounds (1.2-1880 ppb), isoprene (12-580 ppb), ethanol (13-1000 ppb), and methanol (160-2000 ppb (8300) under real-world conditions so as to include both endogenous and exogenous species. The aim is to provide a representative dataset of typical city dwelling human emission rates that can be used by architects, indoor air quality specialists, and medical researchers. Groups of people (50-238 at a time) were measured in a cinema which served as a convenient enclosed space that was ventilated at a known rate while the audience remained seated. By characterizing the human emission rates of VOCs and CO 2 in the real world, we may put other indoor sources into context and gauge the potential for indoor chemical reactions. | INTRODUCTIONHere, we present emission rates for numerous VOCs from seated | MATERIALS AND METHODS | Cinema/movie theatreThe measurements were made from screening room 2 in the Cinestar Cinema Complex in Mainz between December 15, 2015 and January 15, 2016. Within this time period, three films were screened: "Star Wars:The Force Awakens" and two German films "I′m off then" (German title "Ich bin dann mal weg") and "Help, I′ve shrunk my teacher" (German title "Hilfe, ich habe meine Lehrerin geschrumpft"). According to the "International Movie Database," 32 the "Star Wars" film falls under the genre "Action," "Adventure," and "Fantasy" whereas the other two films were "Comedy" films. The third film was additionally categorized under "Family," indicating that it was targeted at younger audiences. StarWars was classified as suitable for viewing by people of 12 and above, while the other two fil...

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