What Homeowners Should Know About Indoor Air Quality VOCs
As long as you can breathe easily and relax at a comfortable temperature, you might think the ambient air in your home is safe and healthy. Preventing outdoor air concentrations from impacting your indoor air environment has been a goal for homeowners for years, and we’ve come a long way in the past few decades. However, because that indoor air is so tightly sealed, it also reduces the chances for fresh air to enter and cleanse your environment. Air pollution inside your home can be up to 10 times higher than outdoor levels.
This creates a serious indoor air quality concern in the form of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can cause a wide range of health issues, especially for those with weakened immune systems. The adverse health effects can include long-term damage to major organs and your central nervous system. Let’s explore the science behind VOCs, where they come from, how they can impact your health and indoor air quality, and how you can reduce your exposure to these potentially dangerous indoor air pollutants.
What are Volatile Organic Compounds?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds with high vapor pressure and low water solubility that linger in your indoor air. Typically, these include by-products of chlorination in water treatment, industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, fuel oxygenates, paint thinners, dry cleaning agents, petroleum products, and more. VOCs are often found in dramatically higher concentrations in indoor air than they are found in outdoor air.
Common Sources of VOCs
Common sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
You may be surprised to learn which common household products can have an impact on your indoor air quality. Most household indoor air quality concerns are created by VOCs that are found in man-made chemicals. Some you may have in your home right now include:
Air fresheners, shampoos, and aerosol sprays
Household chemicals like disinfectants, cleaning supplies, and scented products.
Caulk, adhesives, and sealants
Cosmetic products
Vinyl flooring, artificial carpeting, and other building materials
Combustibles and fuel
Paints, varnishes, glues, and stains
Tobacco smoke
Health Effects of Volatile Organic Compounds
Since there are so many potential sources of volatile organic compounds in your home, it’s no surprise they can accumulate incredibly quickly and damage your air quality. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even small amounts of VOCs can lead to a huge deterioration of your indoor air quality and lead to a variety of health effects. When your home’s indoor air is full of indoor air pollution like volatile organic compounds, you may experience a wide range of symptoms like:
Headaches
Nausea
Dizziness
Vomiting
Respiratory irritation
Organ damage
Cancer
Damage to liver, kidneys, or central nervous system.
While VOCs are usually non-toxic when you’re first exposed to them, long-term exposure to such poor indoor air quality can lead to significant health risks and negative health effects. People who already suffer from health problems are far more susceptible to potential health risks from exposure to these compounds.
Warnings from the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association expresses concern about volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are gases emitted from various products and processes. Some VOCs are harmful by themselves, including those that can cause cancer. Additionally, VOCs can react with other gases, forming further air pollutants once they are in the air. Exposure to VOCs can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause difficulty breathing and nausea, and damage the central nervous system and other organs. Some VOCs are a known human carcinogen. Outdoors, and VOCs can lead to similar health effects and contribute to ozone pollution, a major outdoor air pollutant.
Reducing Your Exposure to VOCs
Health organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Health Science Center, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and dozens of university environmental health sciences departments have taken notice of the health effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Their findings have led to new measures to limit the amount of volatile organic compounds in products that may impact your indoor air quality. When even common air fresheners are likely to create adverse health effects, it’s important to keep track of their findings and the products for which they issue strong warnings.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Exposure Assessment Methodology team found that using products containing these volatile organic compounds was not only in danger of negative health effects during use. Indoor air pollutants from these products were found to persist in the indoor air for hours and even days after activities were completed. And because VOCs’ indoor air concentrations are far higher than outdoor air (two to five times as high), homeowners should take immediate measures to reduce their long-term exposure.
Limiting indoor air concentrations of hazardous compounds should be one of your primary concerns as a homeowner. And while it may seem a daunting task at first, it is possible to educate yourself about indoor air pollutants.
European Union Project On Volatile Organic Compounds
The European Union's approach to managing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is multifaceted, involving directives, technological innovation, and comprehensive environmental programs:
1. EU Directive on VOCs: Directive 99/13/EC targets the solvent-using industry, mandating a 67% reduction in VOC emissions compared to 1990 levels. It also imposes strict limits on certain harmful VOCs, such as chlorinated VOCs, with some limits being below 1 ppm.
2. ZERO-VOC Project: This initiative addresses a major barrier in VOC emissions control: the lack of continuous, affordable, and reliable VOC measurement and monitoring technology. ZERO-VOC aims to develop a tool for online monitoring of harmful and toxic VOC emissions, overcoming the limitations of traditional measurement techniques, which have either failed or proven very difficult and laborious.
3. EU Environment Action Programme to 2030: This program, building on the European Green Deal, sets out priority objectives for 2030 to transition to a climate-neutral, resource-efficient economy. Key focus areas include pursuing a zero-pollution ambition for air, water, and soil, protecting human health and well-being, preserving biodiversity, and reducing environmental and climate pressures from production and consumption. As many as eleven European cities have already adopted and taken serious action to reduce air pollution.
4. Integrated Policy Approach: The 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP) aligns with the European Green Deal's principle of 'no harm,' advocating for an integrated policy approach. This involves the full implementation of existing legislation, decreasing the EU's material and consumption footprints, achieving environmental fairness, sustainable finance, economic and tax incentives for sustainability, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and leveraging digitalization to ensure policy actions are based on the latest science and knowledge.
These actions represent the EU's comprehensive strategy to tackle VOC emissions and their impacts, integrating legislative measures, technological advancements, and a broad environmental policy framework.
Making Your Home a VOC Exposure-Free Zone
Most homeowners have options when it comes to reducing the impact of chronic exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on their homes’ indoor air quality. However, some consumer products and common household items may make this more complicated.
For instance, electronic equipment, often built from plastic materials, are common emitters of hazardous air pollutants. While it’s possible to find more environmentally friendly electronics, you may not always have the option. Small digital printers that heat their ink can seep VOCs into the indoor air and create health risks and noticeable health effects for you and your family as well. But in many cases, particularly in building materials, paints, cleaning products, and insulation, you can find far better alternatives.
Look for building materials that may contain formaldehyde concentrations or other compounds we’ve discussed in this post. In recent decades, manufacturers have come a long way toward eliminating many indoor and outdoor air hazards. Conscious consumers can do their research and determine the ideal products for keeping their indoor air pollution to a minimum year-round. Look for certification marks on products that represent excellent ratings for environmental impacts, and try to purchase products that say they are suitable for people with asthma and allergies. In most cases, this means they have a lower chance of contributing to indoor air pollution.
Another step homeowners can take to minimize their contact with volatile organic compounds is to upgrade their home’s ventilation systems. Sending stale air out with a functioning exhaust system and bringing clean, fresh air in has an extremely positive impact on your indoor air quality. Simply ensuring your air filters and air purifiers are clean and functioning properly can reduce your family’s exposure to harmful indoor air pollution.
To reduce VOCs indoors and improve indoor air quality, consider removing or substituting these specific household products:
1. Paints and Lacquers: Choose low-VOC or VOC-free paints.
2. Aerosol Sprays: Opt for pump sprays or other alternatives.
3. Air Fresheners: Use natural alternatives like essential oil diffusers.
4. Cleaning Supplies: Select natural, environmentally-friendly cleaning products.
5. Carpets and Flooring: Look for low-VOC options when installing new flooring.
6. Furniture and Upholstery: Choose pieces made with natural materials.
7. Adhesives and Sealants: High benzene concentrations, select low-emission adhesives for home projects.
8. Pesticides: Use non-chemical pest control methods.
9. Craft Materials: Choose water-based or non-toxic options.
10. Vehicle Exhaust: Ensure garages are well-ventilated to prevent indoor penetration of exhaust, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter.
By substituting these products with low-VOC or natural alternatives, you can significantly improve indoor air quality.
Contact the Professionals
Air quality has always been important to human health. Fortunately, we live in modern times where we have a far more detailed understanding of how air quality – both indoor and outdoor air – affects our health. To better understand and reduce the health problems of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), you may want to reach out to a professional HVAC specialist.
Professional HVAC technicians can take several steps to help reduce VOCs in indoor environments:
1. Improving Ventilation: Ensure proper ventilation to dilute and remove VOCs from indoor air.
2. Installing Advanced Air Filtration Systems: Recommend and install air filtration systems that are effective at capturing VOCs.
3. Regular Maintenance and Cleaning: Regularly clean and maintain HVAC systems to prevent the accumulation of dust and mold, which can worsen air quality.
4. Using VOC Sensors: Install VOC sensors to monitor indoor air quality and adjust ventilation accordingly.
5. Educating Clients: Provide information to clients about the sources of VOCs and how to reduce their presence in homes or buildings.
6. Sealing Ducts: Ensure that HVAC ducts are properly sealed to prevent outdoor pollutants from entering the indoor environment.
These measures can significantly contribute to reducing VOC levels and improving indoor air quality.
