1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Denelspment of the method for evaluating melti vols lemels and deciding measurement in meurly-baiet office rooms.
| Project/Area Number |
10670332
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
Hygiene
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Institute for Science of Labor |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
HARA Kunio Research Department, Senior Researcher, 研究部, 主任研究員 (40250047)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
1998 – 1999
|
| Keywords | VOCs / newly-built office / 新築ビル |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
We measured the concentrations of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air of some office buildings and in the outdoor air near the buildings. We compared some methods of measuring formaldehyde and VOCs in some indoor and outdoor air. We measured time series of formaldehyde and VOCs in newly-built office buildings during bake-out performed as coutermeasurement to formaldehyde and VOCs in the buildings. Our results obtained were as follows.
Our results obtained were as follows.
The total VOCs and formaldehyde levels in suburbs arca were about several 10 μg/m^3 and approximately 10 μg/m^3. The total VOCs and formaldehyde levels in urban area were about several 100 μg/m^3 and approxmmately 10 μg/m^3. The total VOCs and formaldehyde levels in newly-built office buildings were about several 100 μg/m^3-several 1,000 μg/m^3 and approximately 10 μg/m^3. The total V0Csand formaldehyde levels in ordinal office buildings were about several 100 μg/m^3 and several 10 μg/m^3. T
… More
he indoor total VOCs and formaldehyde levels were higher than the outdoor ones because VOCs and formaldehyde assumed to be evaporated from interior.
Bake-out treatment, being performed as countermeasurement to reduce total VOCs and formaldehyde levels in the offices of newly-built buildings, was verified effective in some cases. However the effectiveness of the bake-out treatment was not perfect in some cases. So ventirating a room by opening the windows or maintaining ventiration system were needed.
A continuous measuring small equipment for VOCs has been developed recently We compared this equipment with the another method, absorbed on Tenax tube-desorbed by thermal desorption equipment-GC/MS analysis method. We verified the positive correlation between the two methods This equipment can be used to measure airborne VOCs in newly-built office buildings and houses when considering the difference between the levels of both methods and the correlation between the both methods. Further data using both methods in different places are needed to adapt this equipment for measuring VOCs level in many workplaces.
So far, we have not identified the actual critical reason that generates " multi chemical sensitivity " or " sick built or sick house syndrome ", which are offen considered to occurs with exposure to VOCs or formaldehyde. Further studies are needed for this point. Less
|
