Grantee Research Project Results
2016 Progress Report: Rapid Methods to Estimate Exposure to SVOCs in Indoor Environments
EPA Grant Number: R835606Title: Rapid Methods to Estimate Exposure to SVOCs in Indoor Environments
Investigators: Little, John C , Marr, Linsey C.
Institution: Virginia Tech
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2017 (Extended to June 30, 2018)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2015 through June 30,2016
Project Amount: $900,000
RFA: New Methods in 21st Century Exposure Science (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Objective:
- Develop novel method to measure the gas-phase semi-volative organic compound (SVOC) concentration (y0) adjacent to the material surface in a consumer product;
- Measure occurrence of SVOCs in consumer products (C0) and use resulting data to establish the nature of equilibrium relationship between C0 and y0;
- Conduct single-source experiments to characterize emissions of various SVOCs from the representative sources;
- Develop novel method to determine surface/air partition coefficients for selected SVOCs and six interior surfaces including airborne particles and dust;
- Validate the single-source model using results from the chamber experiments for representative sources and the single-phase model using data collected from the literature; and
- Evaluate assumptions on which the rapid single-source and single-phase methods are based and characterize the uncertainty inherent in model predictions, especially for the low volatility SVOCs.
Progress Summary:
Substantial progress has been made towards meeting project goals (objectives) 1, 2, 3 and 4, with results reported in the following publications/presentations.
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Project Goal 1
- Wu, et al., 2015 described a novel method to measure the gas-phase SVOC concentration (y0).
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Project Goal 2
- Xie, et al., 2016 measured the occurrence of phthalates (C0) in consumer products.
- Cao, et al., 2016 established a correlation that reveals the effects of temperature, the mass fraction of the target SVOC in the source material, and vapor pressure on y0.
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Project Goal 3
- Wu, et al., 2016 (Building and Environment) developed a reference method to characterize emissions of SVOCs in small chamber tests.
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Project Goal 4
- Wu, et al., 2016 (Environmental Science & Technology) developed a novel method to measure the vapor pressure of phthalates and alternate plasticizers.
Future Activities:
We will focus on Project Goal 2 during the next reporting period, although we will continue to work on the other project goals.
Journal Articles on this Report : 5 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 35 publications | 11 publications in selected types | All 11 journal articles |
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Cao J, Zhang X, Little JC, Zhang Y. A SPME-based method for rapidly and accurately measuring the characteristic parameter for DEHP emitted from PVC floorings. Indoor Air 2017;27(2):417-426. |
R835606 (2016) R835606 (2017) |
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Wu Y, Cox SS, Xu Y, Liang Y, Won D, Liu X, Clausen PA, Rosell L, Benning JL, Zhang Y, Little JC. A reference method for measuring emissions of SVOCs in small chambers. Building and Environment 2016;95:126-132. |
R835606 (2015) R835606 (2016) R835606 (2017) |
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Wu Y, Eichler CM, Chen S, Little JC. Simple method to measure the vapor pressure of phthalates and their alternatives. Environmental Science & Technology 2016;50(18):10082-10088. |
R835606 (2016) R835606 (2017) |
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Xie M, Wu Y, Little JC, Marr LC. Phthalates and alternative plasticizers and potential for contact exposure from children’s backpacks and toys. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 2016;26(1):119-124. |
R835606 (2015) R835606 (2016) R835606 (2017) |
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Wu Y, Xie M, Cox SS, Marr LC, Little JC. A simple method to measure the gas-phase SVOC concentration adjacent to a material surface. Indoor Air 2016;26(6):903-912. |
R835606 (2016) R835606 (2017) |
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Relevant Websites:
Dr. John C. Little | Virginia Tech Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ExitProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.