Assessing and controlling risks from the emission of organic chemicals from construction products into indoor environments

Construction products can be a significant source of indoor pollutants, including volatile organic compounds that may be a risk to the health and well-being of building occupants. There are currently a number of schemes for the labelling of products according to their potential to emit organic compo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science--processes & impacts 2013-01, Vol.15 (12), p.2164-2177
Main Authors: Brown, Veronica M, Crump, Derrick R, Harrison, Paul T. C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis
Air Pollution, Indoor - prevention & control
Construction Materials - adverse effects
Europe
Product Labeling
Risk Assessment
Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis
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Summary:Construction products can be a significant source of indoor pollutants, including volatile organic compounds that may be a risk to the health and well-being of building occupants. There are currently a number of schemes for the labelling of products according to their potential to emit organic compounds. Assessment of the complex mixtures of compounds that may be released has mandated the development of test methods that allow the determination of the concentrations of the chemicals released from products in controlled test chamber environments. In response to concerns about the financial burden faced by manufacturers required to test products according to the various different labelling schemes currently in existence, the European Commission has investigated the scope for greater harmonisation. This initiative has sought to harmonise the process for the assessment of emissions data, complementing work led by the European standards organisation focussed on harmonising the test chamber procedures. The current labelling schemes have a range of requirements with respect to the number of chemicals to be quantified. A comparison of 13 schemes worldwide has identified 15 lists of target compounds, with a total of 611 chemicals occurring on at least one of the target lists. While harmonisation may clarify and perhaps simplify these requirements, at least in Europe, it can be expected that future changes to product formulations, the introduction of new products and our increasing knowledge about the potential risks to health, will require continued development of new and improved measurement techniques. There is, therefore, a particular challenge for analytical chemists to ensure the efficient provision of high quality emissions data and thereby ultimately enable effective control of risks to human health through the prevention or reduction of indoor air pollution. Effective characterisation of complex mixtures of VOCs emitted from construction products for public health protection necessitates international collaboration by chemists.
ISSN:2050-7887
2050-7895
DOI:10.1039/c3em00413a