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Formaldehyde in the Ambient Atmosphere: From an Indoor Pollutant to an Outdoor Pollutant?
Author(s) -
Salthammer Tunga
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201205984
Subject(s) - pollutant , formaldehyde , environmental science , indoor air , atmosphere (unit) , indoor air quality , air pollutants , environmental engineering , air pollution , meteorology , chemistry , geography , organic chemistry
Formaldehyde has been discussed as a typical indoor pollutant for decades. Legal requirements and ever‐lower limits for formaldehyde in indoor air have led to a continual reduction in the amount of formaldehyde released from furniture, building materials, and household products over many years. Slowly, and without much attention from research on indoor air, a change of paradigm is taking place, however. Today, the formaldehyde concentrations in outdoor air, particularly in polluted urban areas, sometimes already reach indoor levels. This is largely a result of photochemical processes and the use of biofuels. In the medium term, this development might have consequences for the way buildings are ventilated and lead to a change in the way we evaluate human exposure.