Indoor Emission Characteristics of Liquid Household Products using Purge - and - Trap Method

Since the emissions composition from the household products have potentially been associated with health risks for building occupants, the chemical composition emitted from the products should be surveyed. The current study identified the emission composition for 42 liquid household products, using a purge-and-trap method. This evaluation was done by classifying the household products into five product classes (deodorizers, household cleaners, color removers, pesticides, and polishes). Nineteen compounds were chosen on the basis of selection criteria. The quality control program for purge-and-trap and analytical systems included tests of laboratory blank Tenax traps and blank water samples, and the determination of calibration equation, measurement precision, method detection limit (MDL), and recovery. The number of chemicals varied according to the product categories, ranging from 4 for the product category of bleaches to 12 for the product categories of air fresheners and nail color removers. For all product categories, the emission composition and concentrations varied broadly according to product. It is noteworthy that most household products emit limonene: 19 of 25 cleaning products; 5 of 6 deodorizers; 1 of 3 pesticides; 3 of 3 color removers; and 4 of 5 polishes. It was suggested that the use of household products sold in Korea could elevate the formation of secondary toxic pollutants in indoor environments, by the reaction of limonene with ozone, which entered indoor environments or might be generated by indoor sources such as electronic air cleaning devices and copying machines.