Abstract
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Background
Keywords
Findings
Authors
What is already known on this subject?
What does this study add?
Background
The presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air may have negative health consequences, ranging from mild irritation to more severe illnesses. Indoor air data are required to assess Canadian population exposure to these VOCs.
Data and methods
The 2009 to 2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) included an indoor air component. Respondents who went to the mobile examination centre to participate in the physical measures section of the survey were asked to deploy an indoor air sampler in their homes for 7 consecutive days. Data were collected for 84 VOCs. Control samples that were implemented included duplicates and blanks.
Results
Of the 4,686 indoor air samplers given to CHMS respondents, 4,581 were deployed and returned to the testing laboratory. Data from 3,857 samplers met the criteria for inclusion in the CHMS indoor air data files. Thirteen VOCs had a mean percentage difference between the duplicate pairs greater than 30%. The field and cleaning blank geometric means and medians were lower than 1 µg/m3 for 83 VOCs.
Interpretation
The high percentage of mobile examination centre participants who deployed samplers in their homes, the sampler return rate, and the quality of the data obtained demonstrate the feasibility of relying on respondents to handle indoor air samplers for large-scale collection of residential VOC data.
Keywords
Air pollution, air quality, data collection, indoor air sampler, organic chemicals, survey methods, volatile organic compounds
Findings
Organic chemicals are present in a wide variety of common household products such as paints, paint strippers and other solvents, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, air fresheners, and hobby supplies. These products can emit gases known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while they are being used, and even when they are stored. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outside. In fact, indoor air is the largest contributor of human inhalation exposure to VOCs. [Full Text]
Authors
Jennifer Patry-Parisien (613-951-6010; jennifer.patry-parisien@statcan.gc.ca) is with the Health Statistics Division and Suzy L. Wong (613-951-4774; suzy.wong@statcan.gc.ca) is with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6. Jiping Zhu (613-946-0305; jiping.zhu@hc-sc.gc.ca) is with the Exposure and Biomonitoring Division at Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9.
What is already known on this subject?
- Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are more common indoors than outside.
- Indoor air is the largest contributor of human inhalation exposure to VOCs.
- VOCs in indoor air may have negative health consequences, ranging from mild irritation to more serious illnesses.
- Data about residential indoor air VOCs are needed to determine Canadian population exposure.
What does this study add?
- The indoor air component of the 2009 to 2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey provides nationally representative data for 84 VOCs, many of which have not been previously measured indoors.
- With these data, baseline levels for VOCs in residential indoor air can be established.
- Results suggest that it is feasible to conduct large-scale collection of residential indoor air VOC data by relying on respondents to deploy and return indoor air samplers.
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