Relationships between indoor behavior of volatile organic compounds and Indoor environment

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K22439
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0304:Architecture, building engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: Takaguchi Kohki 千葉大学, 予防医学センター, 特任研究員 (90873109)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 揮発性有機化合物 / 室内分布

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Measures and regulations on building materials have been taken because of indoor air pollution and the resulting health effects such as sick building syndrome. However, it is difficult to grasp and limit the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to the occurrence of their compounds by human activities and the release from furniture. Therefore, it is necessary to design a space where chemical substances do not stay and control the air quality. The present study aimed to elucidate the behavior of VOCs in indoor air and the factors that influence them.
We investigated the behavior of VOCs in the indoor air using the demonstration experiment house in our laboratory. Model substances were sprayed in a demonstration experiment house. The distribution of VOCs and indoor environment (temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure) were measured in real time using an environmental sensor. We estimated the dynamics of VOCs in indoor air and the factors that affect them.

Free Research Field

環境化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

室内空気汚染とそれによる健康影響から建築材料等の制限などの建築物においてシックハウス対策のための対策や規制がなされているが、室内に設置した家具やヒトの活動によって揮発性有機化合物（VOCs）が放出されており、生活スタイルに個人差があるため、生活に由来する化学物質の放出を把握・制限することは難しい。そのため、室内空気中VOCsの動態とそれに影響を与える要因を推定した本研究の成果は化学物質を滞留させない空間を設計し、空気質をコントロールするための、クリーンな空間デザインの一助となる可能性がある。