Background Indoor Air Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Air-Phase Petroleum Hydrocarbons (APH) in Office Buildings, Commercial Buildings, and Schools

摘要

Background/Objectives. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and state regulatory agencies provide guidance for comparing indoor air data to background concentration data to assess the soil vapor intrusion pathway at contaminated sites. In general, the background values currently being used were derived from recent residential indoor air background studies, or from non-residential indoor air background studies which include data that are up to 20 years old. These studies may not be well suited for current evaluation of indoor air quality office buildings, commercial buildings, and schools. Therefore, a need exists for a current indoor air background data set for samples collected from office buildings, commercial buildings, and schools within the United States using current analytical methods.