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Chemical and Biological Evaluation of Building Material Emissions
Author(s) -
Nielsen Gunnar Damgard,
Hammer Maria,
Hansen Lea Frimann
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0668.1997.t01-3-00005.x
Subject(s) - irritation , eye irritation , bioassay , indoor air , skin irritation , nose , sick building syndrome , environmental science , environmental chemistry , toxicology , chemistry , waste management , indoor air quality , environmental engineering , surgery , medicine , biology , engineering , dermatology , ecology , immunology
A fibrous acoustic insulation material was examined for the emission of chemicals. The material was studied also in relation to humans for odorous properties and irritation of nose and throat. Finally, sensory irritation of the upper airways was investigated using a mouse bioassay. Emission of TVOC was equal to or less than 0.036 mg/(m 2 .h). A small amount of base was also emitted (∼0.003 mg/(m 2 .h) NH 3 ). No emissions of acids and formaldehyde were found. The odour intensity was judged by a panel as “slight” at a loading ratio 10 times higher than that in buildings. Here, the percentage of dissatisfied participants was 25. If nose irritation occurred at all, it was far below “slight irritation” even at a loading 30 times that in buildings. No throat irritation was found. No sensory irritation was detected with the mouse bioassay. From the testing and extrapolation to the normal load of the material in buildings, it may be concluded that the material does not produce any biologically significant emission of volatile compounds to indoor air. The results suggest that the effect of other low‐emitting materials on indoor air may also be estimated from the combination of simple chemical, human and animal screening tests.