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A Reference Method for Measuring Emissions of SVOCs in Small Chambers
Citation:
Wu, Y., S. Cox, Y. Xu, Y. Liang, D. Wong, X. Liu, J. Benning, P. Clausen, Y. Zhang, C. Liu, AND J. Little. A Reference Method for Measuring Emissions of SVOCs in Small Chambers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 95:126-132, (2016).
Impact/Purpose:
There is an urgent need for improved understanding of the measurement uncertainties associated with SVOC emissions testing. The creation of specially-designed chambers and well-characterized materials serves as a critical prerequisite for improving the procedure used to measure SVOCs emitted from indoor sources. Once developed and tested, researchers can use these resources to independently evaluate measurement accuracy and reduce experimental variability.
Description:
Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are indoor air pollutants that may may have significant adverse effects on human health, and emission of SVOCs from building materials and consumer products is of growing concern. Few chamber studies have been conducted due to the challenges associated with SVOC analysis and the lack of validation procedures. Thus there is an urgent need for a reliable and accurate chamber test method to verify the performance of these measurements. A reference method employing a specially-designed chamber and experimental protocol has been developed and is undergoing extensive evaluation. A pilot interlaboratory study (ILS) has been conducted with five laboratories performing chamber tests under identical conditions. Results showed inter-laboratory variations at 25% for SVOC emission rates, with greater agreement observed between intra-laboratory measurements for most of the participating laboratories. The measured concentration profiles also compared reasonably well to the mechanistic model, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed reference method to independently assess laboratory performance and validate SVOC emission tests.
