Evaluation and analysis of volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde emission of building products in accordance with legal standards: A statistical experimental study

[Display omitted] •Pollutants from building materials produced in 2004–2017 were analyzed.•The TVOC and HCHO emissions from building materials were analyzed.•A total of 2780 building materials were tested for pollutant emissions.•The correlation of emissions and building materials was analyzed.•The legal regulations on pollutant emissions have had a positive effect. Building materials have been developed mainly for thermal performance, strength, low energy consumption, and aesthetics. Consequently, large amounts of chemicals have been added to building products, resulting in the release of abundant pollutants that adversely affect human health. In particular, pollutants from the materials used to build modern dwellings can cause sick house syndrome, which leads to health resilience problems and diseases. In this study, more than 100 investigations were conducted annually from 2004 to 2017 by using the 20 L small chamber method to analyze the contents of formaldehyde (HCHO) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) released from 2780 building products in total. High emissions were released by some building components with raw materials containing hazardous chemicals. However, since the 2004 enactment of a legal standard for the regulation of emissions of harmful substances in building products, the pollutant emissions have tended to decrease over the years. As a result of the experiment, all 2780 building materials met the legal standard on average. Therefore, legal restrictions on the release of hazardous materials from building products have achieved reductions in pollutant emissions.