How Dangerous are Volatile Organic Compounds?

The air is not 100% clean. Whether it is indoor or outdoor air, it has been contaminated with air

particles that cause skin reactions. One of the air particles that pose threats to our health is volatile

organic compounds or VOC. It is the leading air pollutant, unfortunately, it is released from many

sources that are used by man almost in a daily basis. Air purifiers and air filters are advanced to capture

these pollutants to ensure a cleaner and healthier air. HEPA or High efficiency particulate air is a type

of filter that can trap at least 99.97% of air contaminants at 0.3 micron size. There are other types of

filter that function the same. Air purifiers can be expensive. But is there really a need for these filters?

What is VOC?

VOCs are chemicals that are used to manufacture/maintain interior furnishing, building materials,

personal care products and cleaning products. It is “volatile” because these chemicals can easily get

evaporated at room temperature. It is tagged “organic” because these chemicals are carbon based.

Through carbon emission, the compounds evaporate into the air from these products and people inhale

it.

A study from the US Environmental Protection Agency showed that VOCs are two thousand times

higher indoors than outdoors. Some VOCs produce smell but many products produce VOC without any

smell.

Sources of VOC

There are a lot of sources of VOCs. Majority of VOC can be found in cleaning supplies, consumer

products, building materials, pesticide applications, disinfectants, glues, cosmetics, paints, varnishes,

preservatives, cigarette smoke and indoor furnishings. It is also emitted in processes like printing,

cooking, cleaning and even in doing your hobbies. Practically, VOCs are everywhere and anywhere.

You may not see it but the long term effects of exposure to VOCs can lead to serious illnesses.

Effects of VOCs

The health effects of VOC exposure depend on the amount of VOCs present in the air (level of

toxicity), how long you have been exposed to it and how often you breathe. If a person has existing

allergic condition such as asthma, exposure to VOCs can aggravate it. Short term effects of exposure to

VOC include eye, nose and throat irritation. You can also feel headaches, coughing, skin rashes,

nosebleeds, dizziness and vomiting.

On the other hand, long term exposure to VOCs can be more dangerous. It raises risks for cancer, liver

damage, kidney damage, and the central nervous system. Study also reveals that it exacerbates

cardiovascular conditions in the elderly.

Volatile organic compound are threats to our health especially to children, people with respiratory

problems and elderly. Unfortunately, VOCs are everywhere. You can't escape from it. But you can

reduce the amount of VOCs that you will be exposed by using air purifiers. There are different kinds of

air purifiers such as the ones in cleanairplus.com. It is also an appliance like your refrigerators and

washing machine, air purifiers can last up to 20 years. However, cheap models of air purifiers won't

stay that long. So, you must invest on quality air purifiers because it's like investing for a longer life.