THE EFFECTS OF EVAPORATING ESSENTIAL OILS ON INDOOR AIR QUALITY

摘要

Our study aimed to examine the characteristics and concentrations of emitted VOCs when evaporating essential oils indoors. Three popular essential oils in the market, lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree, based on a nation-wide questionnaire survey, were tested. Specific volatile organic compounds of interest were sampled and while evaporating the essential oils and analyzed by GC-MS. Indoor CO, CO2, TVOCs, and PM10 were measured using continuous monitors and duplicate airborne fungi and bacteria were collected in different periods of the evaporation. Indoor CO, CO2, and TVOCs levels have increased significantly after burning essential oils while PM10 concentrations showed an opposite trend. The effects of anti-microbial activity on airborne microbes could only be found at the first 30 to 60 min when the highest levels of volatile components of these essential oils emitting into the air. Their effects on airborne microbes did not seem to persist through time.