Reducing VOC's in New Homes John Lapotaireciec IAQ Solutions #IAQS #IAQ 4-4-2011-110407110535-phpapp02

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Building A Healthy Home

John P. Lapotaire, CIEC [email protected]

Lydia A. Lapotaire, CIEC [email protected]

Understanding & Reducing VOC’s in New Homes


2

1 Introduction

2 Building a Healthy Home

4

3 Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs

Where do VOCs come from?

5 What levels of VOCs are safe?

5 What can I do about VOCs?

VOC Pictures

3 Questions & Discussion


“Healthier Air Starts Here”


Building a Healthy Home

• Today's Home Builders Build Green

• Today's Home Builders Sell Green

• A Healthy Home is

Tomorrow’s Green Home!

• So…… Now It’s Time to Build and Sell

Healthy Homes!



• There is nothing stopping Home Builders

from building a Healthy Home

• Building a Healthy Home starts with carful

selection of the products used to build the

home.

• Low VOC products are a must when

building a Healthy Home.



• The old adage “an ounce of prevention is

worth a pound of cure” applies when

building a Healthy Home.

• So remember to look for Low VOC or VOC

Free choices when purchasing building

products.

• Currently there are no standard labeling

system for VOCs, but many manufacturers

offer a Low or No VOC option.



• Formaldehyde, one of the best known

VOCs, is surprisingly common in new home

construction.

• Luckily, it happens to be one of the few

indoor air pollutants that can be readily

measured.

• Air monitoring is one approach that can

help prevent adverse effects of exposure to

volatile organic compounds.



• Many products merely claim to be “Low

VOC.”

• Everyone specifying and purchasing

products must actually find the products’

VOC content in grams per liter (g/L), which

is usually found on the product’s technical

data sheet or material safety data sheet.



• Compare the listed VOC number with VOC

limits listed for different uses determined by

– South Coast Air Quality Management

District (SCAQMD)

– Rule #1113 and Green Seal GS-11 and GS-

03.

• SCAQMD is the air pollution control agency

for all of Orange County and the urban

portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San

Bernardino counties, the smoggiest region

of the U.S.



• When you shop around, you’ll see labels

indicating “Low-VOC” and “zero-VOC”

paints, meaning they contain a reduced

number of grams of VOC per liter

– (under 150 grams for low-VOC and

– under 5 for zero-VOC).

• The majority of common paint brands now

provide these kinds of alternatives



• Water-based wood finishes, such as

waterborne urethane or acrylic, also have

decreased toxic compounds, but still provide

comparable durability to their standard

counterparts.

• You can also find paint with recycled content

which keeps remainders out of the waste

stream, cuts down on new production, and

generally costs less.



• Many conventional interior grade composite

materials, like carbon fiber and engineered

wood, contain urea-formaldehyde binder,

which has been classified as a Toxic Air

Contaminant by the California Air Resources

Board due to its potential to cause cancer.

• It’s now fairly common to hear about

formaldehyde-free fiberboards, and those

are the ones you want to look for.

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0406dignews-2.asp

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0406dignews-2.asp


Volatile Organic Compounds

VOCs

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a

large group of carbon-based chemicals that

easily evaporate at room temperature.

• While most people can smell high levels of

some VOCs, other VOCs have no odor.

• Odor does not indicate the level of risk from

inhalation of this group of chemicals.


Volatile Organic Compounds

VOCs

• Acetone

• Benzene

• Ethylene glycol

• Formaldehyde

• Methylene chloride

• Perchloroethylene

• Toluene

• Xylene

• 1,3-butadiene

There are thousands of different VOCs

produced and used in our daily lives. Some

common examples include:



• Building Materials

– Carpets and

adhesives

– Composite wood

products

– Paints

– Sealing caulks

– Solvents

– Upholstery fabrics

– Varnishes

– Vinyl Floors

– Structural

components

Many products we have in our homes

release or “off-gas” VOCs. Some examples

of sources of VOCs are:



• Far too often the reason a product produces

excessive amounts of VOC’s is Miss-

Application of the product.

• All Building Products MUST be installed and

applied according to the manufacturers

specifications.

• Failure to follow the spec’s can lead to

increased levels of product emitted VOC’s



• Home and Personal Care Products

– Air fresheners

– Air cleaners that produce ozone

– Cleaning and disinfecting chemicals

– Cosmetics

– Fuel oil, gasoline

– Moth balls

– Vehicle exhaust running a car in an attached

garage



• Behaviors

– Cooking

– Dry-cleaning

– Hobbies

– Newspapers

– Non-electric space heaters

– Photocopiers

– Smoking

– Stored paints and chemicals

– Wood burning stoves




• Studies have shown that the level of VOCs

indoors is generally two to five times higher

than the level of VOC’s outdoors.

• VOC concentrations in indoor air depend on

many factors, including the:

– Amount of VOCs in a product;

– Rate at which the VOCs are released;

– Volume of the air in the room/building;

– Ventilation rate or the area; and

– Outdoor concentrations of VOCs.


What levels of VOCs is safe?

• No standards have been set for VOCs in

non industrial settings.

• OSHA regulates formaldehyde, a specific

VOC, as a carcinogen.

• OSHA has adopted a Permissible Exposure

Level (PEL) of .75 ppm, and an action level

of 0.5 ppm.

• HUD has established a level of .4 ppm for

mobile homes. It is advisable to mitigate

formaldehyde that is present at levels higher

than 0.1 ppm.


What levels of VOCs are safe?







• The best health protection measure is to

limit your exposure to products and

materials that contain VOCs when possible.

• If you think you may be having health

problems caused by VOCs, try reducing

levels in your home.

• If symptoms persist, consult with your doctor

to rule out other serious health conditions

that may have similar symptoms.



• There are established Health Risk Values

(HRVs) for some individual VOCs.

• HRVs are “concentrations of chemicals or

defined mixtures of chemicals emitted to air

that are unlikely to pose a significant risk of

harmful effects when humans are exposed

to those concentrations over a specified

time.”


Are some people at greater risk

from VOC exposure than others?

• Persons with respiratory problems such as

asthma, young children, elderly, and

• persons with heightened sensitivity to

chemicals may be more susceptible to

irritation and illness from VOCs.


Low-VOC Products

• Cleaner indoor air quality as well as reduced

chemical emissions can be realized by

simply using Low or No VOC building

materials.

• Elevated levels of VOC’s in new homes

have been linked to

– eye and respiratory irritation,

– headaches,

– fatigue and

– other symptoms associated with “sick

building” syndrome.


Low-VOC Products

• Many commonly used building products,

such as

– Paints

– Varnishes

– Adhesives

– Carpets

– Cabinets

– Structural Components

Some of these products can emit a variety of

harmful chemicals into the air for months

after they have been applied.


Low-VOC Products

• Paints

• Paint thinner

• Solvents

• Wood preservatives

• Finishes

• Aerosol sprays

• Cleaners and

disinfectants

• Air fresheners

• Stored fuels

• Dry-cleaned clothing

• Carpets

• Caulks and sealants

• Adhesives

• Office furniture

Products that emit VOCs include, but are

not limited to, the following:


What can I do about VOCs that

are in the homes I build?

• Although home screening kits (devices) are

available to measure total volatile organic

compounds (TVOC) levels they are of

limited use and won’t correct a VOC

problem.

• Instead of testing, the first step is to conduct

an inspection of your home for the common

sources of VOCs.


What can I do about VOCs homes

I build?

• Sources that may be problematic include

almost everything you use to build your

homes which tend to off-gas more VOC’s

when they are new.

• The primary sources include carpet, paint,

plastics structural components or

manufactured wood products.

• And don’t forget the cleaning products used

when your home is complete.




• Once you determine the probable source(s)

of VOCs, steps can be taken to reduce the

levels.

• If you are unable to determine probable

sources, a professional indoor air quality

investigator can be consulted.




• Source control: Remove or reduce the

number of products in the homes you build

that give off VOCs.

• Only purchase Low or No VOC Products

and carefully follow the manufacturers

spec’s on product labels.


• Remove unused building products from the

home immediately after use.

• stored chemicals in closed containers can

sometimes “leak” and release VOCs into

indoor air.






• Ventilation and climate control can be used

to reduce exposure to VOCs.

• Keep both the temperature and relative

humidity as low as possible or comfortable.

Chemicals will off-gas more under warmer

conditions with high humidity




• In summary, the most effective way to limit

VOCs indoors is to limit the potential

sources of VOCs.

• Increasing the amount of outdoor “fresh air”

into a space can also dilute and reduce

VOC levels.


Why Should You Use Low VOC

Building Materials?

• Reduced chemical emissions from VOCs.

• Improved indoor air quality.

• Improved occupant health.

• Reduced nuisance odor complaints

– eye and respiratory irritation, headaches,

fatigue and other symptoms of “sick

building” syndrome.

• Value-added appeal to Health Conscious

Home Buyers!


VOC’S PRODUCED FROM

BUILDING PRODUCTS

Photos of Building Products Emitting VOC’s

What is the Catalyst Causing the Building

Products to Emit the VOC’s


A

C

D

B





A


B


C


D








































VOC HOUSEHOLD

PRODUCTS

Photos of Personal Belongings Emitting VOC’s






Sometimes it’s the litter box


Sometimes it’s the CAT








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Reducing VOC's in New Homes John Lapotaireciec IAQ Solutions #IAQS #IAQ 4-4-2011-110407110535-phpapp02