Dynamic behavior of semivolatile organic compounds in indoor air

摘要

Exposures to a wide range of air pollutants are often dominated by those occurring in buildings because of three factors: (1) most people spend a large fraction of their time indoors, (2) many pollutants have strong indoor sources, and (3) the dilution volume in buildings is generally several orders of magnitude smaller than that of an urban airshed. Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are emitted by numerous indoor sources, including tobacco combustion, cooking, carpets, paints, resins, and glues, so indoor gas-phase concentrations of these compounds are likely to be elevated relative to ambient levels. The rates of uptake and release of reversibly sorbing SVOCs by indoor materials directly affect both peak concentations and persistence of the pollutants indoors after source elimination. Thus, accurate predictions of SVOC dynamics in indoor air require an understanding of contaminant sorption on surface materials such as carpet and wallboard.