Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.
Chemosphere. 2012 Oct;89(5):569-78. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.05.054. Epub 2012 Jun 12.
The present study investigated the indoor concentrations of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde and their indoor emission characteristics in newly-built apartments at the pre-occupancy stage. In total, 107 apartments were surveyed for indoor and outdoor VOC concentrations in two metropolitan cities and one rural area in Korea. A mass balanced model was used to estimate surface area-specific emission rates of individual VOCs and formaldehyde. Seven (benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, n-hexane, and n-heptane) of 40 target compounds were detectable in all indoor air samples, whereas the first five were detected in all outdoor air samples. Formaldehyde was also predominant in the indoor air samples, with a high detection frequency of 96%. The indoor concentrations were significantly higher than the outdoor concentrations for aromatics, alcohols, terpenes, and ketones. However, six halogenated VOCs exhibited similar concentrations for indoor and outdoor air samples, suggesting that they are not major components emitted from building materials. It was also suggested that a certain portion of the apartments surveyed were constructed by not following the Korean Ministry of Environment guidelines for formaldehyde emissions. Toluene exhibited the highest emission rate with a median value of 138 μg m(-2) h(-1). The target compounds with median emission rates greater than 20 μg m(-2) h(-1) were toluene, 1-propanol, formaldehyde, and 2-butanone. The wood panels/vinyl floor coverings were the largest indoor pollutant source, followed by floorings, wall coverings, adhesives, and paints. The wood panels/vinyl floor coverings contributed nearly three times more to indoor VOC concentrations than paints.
本研究调查了新建公寓入住前阶段室内选定挥发性有机化合物（VOC）和甲醛的浓度及其室内排放特征。在韩国的两个大都市和一个农村地区，共调查了 107 套公寓的室内和室外 VOC 浓度。使用质量平衡模型来估算单个 VOC 和甲醛的表面积特定排放率。在所调查的 40 种目标化合物中，有 7 种（苯、乙苯、甲苯、间二甲苯、对二甲苯、正己烷和正庚烷）在所有室内空气样本中均能检测到，而前 5 种在所有室外空气样本中均能检测到。甲醛在室内空气样本中也占主导地位，其检测频率高达 96%。芳香族化合物、醇类、萜烯和酮类的室内浓度明显高于室外浓度。然而，六种卤代 VOC 的室内和室外空气样本浓度相似，表明它们不是建筑材料主要排放的成分。研究还表明，在所调查的部分公寓中，建造时并未遵循韩国环境部关于甲醛排放的指导方针。甲苯的排放率最高，中位数为 138μg m(-2) h(-1)。排放率中位数大于 20μg m(-2) h(-1)的目标化合物有甲苯、1-丙醇、甲醛和 2-丁酮。木质镶板/乙烯基地板是最大的室内污染物来源，其次是地板、壁板、胶粘剂和油漆。木质镶板/乙烯基地板对室内 VOC 浓度的贡献几乎是油漆的三倍。
