Measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in eight East Tennessee homes

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6875045

Gammage, R B; Higgins, C E; Dreibelbis, W G; Guerin, M R; Buchanan, M V; White, D A; Olerich, G; Hawthrone, A R

Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOC) were made inside and outside eight East Tennessee homes. Air samples were collected on Tenax or Tenax-carbonaceous sorbents. Analyses were made by high-resolution gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GCFID) and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GCMS) with single-ion monitoring. Analyses were also made directly by injection of small air samples onto a portable gas chromatography photoionization detector (GCPID). The total indoor VOC (C/sub 5/ /minus/ C/sub 16/) estimated from the GCFID chromatograms averaged 1.0 mg/m/sup 3/ with a range of 0.1-3.7 mg/m/sup 3/. The mean outdoor concentration of these total VOC was an order of magnitude less (0.08 mg/m/sup 3/). An identification and quantitation were made of some of the individual compounds comprising the total VOC. The 12 target chlorinated VOC that were measured accounted for a mean concentration of 0.064 mg/m/sup 3/; methylene chloride at 19 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ (6 ppb) and tetrachloroethylene at 22 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ (3 ppb) were the two most abundant of these compounds. The sum concentration of toluene and xylene was 0.1 mg/m/sup 3/. Other intermediate volatility VOC account for 0.1-0.2 mg/m/sup 3/. Gasoline fumes were prevalent indoors, especially in houses with attached garages. Compared to houses without attached garages, the concentration of gasoline vapors and one of its characteristic constituents, 3-methylpentane, was about five-fold higher. The indoor-to-outdoor ratio of gasoline fumes was about 50:1 for houses with attached garages. 15 refs., 6 figs., 10 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6875045
• Report Number(s): ORNL-6286; ON: DE89001343
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320107* -- Energy Conservation
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& Utilization-- Building Systems-- (1987-)
500200 -- Environment
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
BUILDINGS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FUELS
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
GASOLINE
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
LIQUID FUELS
MATTER
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
POLLUTION
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
VOLATILE MATTER