Developing ASTM Standards for Test Specimen Preparation and Measuring Emissions of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) from Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Insulation Products

摘要

This report will discuss the ongoing development of ASTM standard practices and test methods to measure potential chemical emissions from spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation designed for on-site application in buildings. The consensus standards are being developed to evaluate SPF products for their impact on indoor air quality after installation in order to establish re-occupancy times for residents and re-entry times for trade workers. ASTM D 7859-13 was developed for spraying, sampling, packaging, and test specimen preparation of SPF insulation samples for environmental chamber emissions testing. The prepared specimens are placed into micro-scale test chambers which are optimized to recover the emissions of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), e.g., flame retardant, and amine catalysts, since these compounds have been shown that they can adhere to the walls of conventional small-scale test chambers that are commonly used for product emission testing. The VOC and SVOC emissions are captured from the chambers onto stainless steel thermal desorption tubes containing the appropriate sorbents, then analyzed with thermal desorption and GC/MS. MD1 is captured with a specialized micro-scale chamber to minimize sink effects. The measured values are reported as emission factors to estimate the mass emitted per unit time and surface area, which can be used to predict indoor air concentrations. The consensus standards are being developed by ASTM Committee D22 on Air Quality through Subcommittee D22.05 on Indoor Air.