Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds

Some types of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that are emitted from plastics used in building materials and household appliances have been associated with health risks, even at low concentrations. It has been reported that di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)—one of the most commonly used plastic...

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Main Authors: Sunwoo Lee, Janghoo Seo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Advances in Civil Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/4726326
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author Sunwoo Lee
Janghoo Seo
author_facet Sunwoo Lee
Janghoo Seo
author_sort Sunwoo Lee
collection DOAJ
description Some types of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that are emitted from plastics used in building materials and household appliances have been associated with health risks, even at low concentrations. It has been reported that di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)—one of the most commonly used plasticizers—causes asthma and allergic symptoms in children at home. The amount of emitted DEHP, which is classified as a SVOC, can be measured using a microchamber by the thermal desorption test chamber method. To accurately measure the SVOC emission rates, the relation between SVOC and environmental factors should be clarified. Herein, we examined the effects of the temperature, relative humidity, concentration of airborne particles, and flow field in the microchamber on SVOC emission rates. The flow fields inside the microchamber were analyzed via computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The emission rate of SVOC released from PVC flooring increased under high temperatures and at high concentrations of airborne particles but did not depend on the relative humidity. From an evaluation performed using an index of air change efficiency, such as the air age and the coefficient of air change performance, we found that a fixed air exchange rate of 1.5 h−1 in the microchamber is desirable.
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spelling doaj-art-8b2c0e961ead40dfa5fdd4268936498e2025-08-20T03:37:34ZengWileyAdvances in Civil Engineering1687-80861687-80942018-01-01201810.1155/2018/47263264726326Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic CompoundsSunwoo Lee0Janghoo Seo1Zero-Energy Appropriate Technology Institute, Seoul Energy Dream Center, 14 Jeungsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 03901, Republic of KoreaSchool of Architecture, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Republic of KoreaSome types of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that are emitted from plastics used in building materials and household appliances have been associated with health risks, even at low concentrations. It has been reported that di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)—one of the most commonly used plasticizers—causes asthma and allergic symptoms in children at home. The amount of emitted DEHP, which is classified as a SVOC, can be measured using a microchamber by the thermal desorption test chamber method. To accurately measure the SVOC emission rates, the relation between SVOC and environmental factors should be clarified. Herein, we examined the effects of the temperature, relative humidity, concentration of airborne particles, and flow field in the microchamber on SVOC emission rates. The flow fields inside the microchamber were analyzed via computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The emission rate of SVOC released from PVC flooring increased under high temperatures and at high concentrations of airborne particles but did not depend on the relative humidity. From an evaluation performed using an index of air change efficiency, such as the air age and the coefficient of air change performance, we found that a fixed air exchange rate of 1.5 h−1 in the microchamber is desirable.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/4726326
spellingShingle Sunwoo Lee
Janghoo Seo
Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds
Advances in Civil Engineering
title Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds
title_full Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds
title_fullStr Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds
title_full_unstemmed Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds
title_short Examination of Environmental Factors Influencing the Emission Rates of Semivolatile Organic Compounds
title_sort examination of environmental factors influencing the emission rates of semivolatile organic compounds
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/4726326
work_keys_str_mv AT sunwoolee examinationofenvironmentalfactorsinfluencingtheemissionratesofsemivolatileorganiccompounds
AT janghooseo examinationofenvironmentalfactorsinfluencingtheemissionratesofsemivolatileorganiccompounds