Indoor Air Pollution Levels in Decorated Residences and Public Places over Xi’an, China

To investigate the indoor air quality (IAQ) over Xi’an, the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs, including formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, o-xylene, p-xylene, n-butyl acetate, ethylbenzene, styrene, n-undecane, and total VOCs) in 471 residential rooms and 58 public rooms during 2014-2015 were determined. All the data were measured at a variety of 6-48 months after the decorations of these rooms. The results showed that formaldehyde was the most serious pollutant in almost all the monitored rooms. The concentrations of formaldehyde in residences and public places ranged from 0.02 mg m^(-3) to 0.45 mg m^(-3) and 0.05 mg m^(-3) to 0.32 mg m^(-3), respectively. And the concentration levels in the 83.6% selected residences and 44.8% public places exceeded the Chinese National Indoor Air Quality Standard (GB/T 18883-2002) of formaldehyde value (0.1 mg m^(-3)). However, the TVOC concentrations in most sites were lower than the Chinese National Standard (GB/T 18883-2002) value. In residences, the formaldehyde and TVOC concentrations in bedrooms were slightly higher than those in living rooms and other rooms. The relationships among formaldehyde and TVOC concentrations with indoor temperature, relative humidity (RH), and decorative materials (curtain, wall decoration, wood floor, and panel furniture) were also investigated. Formaldehyde levels showed strong positive correlation with indoor temperature and RH. However, the TVOC levels had a relatively weak correlation with indoor air temperature and RH. The wall decoration and panel furniture were the main sources of indoor formaldehyde, while wood floor and panel furniture were the main sources of TVOC. In addition, indoor air pollution of three selected newly decorated houses with 11 rooms was monitored monthly for one year to evaluate the relationship between indoor pollution levels and ventilation time. It was found that the concentrations of formaldehyde and TVOC decreased with ventilation time, and the duration was one year after decoration especially after summer ventilation.