Abstract
The cabin of an automobile can be considered to be a part of the living environment because many people spend long periods of time during business, shopping, recreation or travel activities. However, little is known about the interior air contamination due to organic compounds diffusing from the interior materials used in the interior of automobiles. In the present study, the compounds in the interior air of a new car were identified, and the time courses of their concentrations were examined for over 3 years after the delivery (July, 1999). A total of 162 organic compounds, involving many aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons, were identified. High concentrations of n-nonane (458 μg/m3 on the day following delivery), n-decane (1301 μg/m3), n-undecane (1616 μg/m3), n-dodecane (716 μg/m3), n-tridecane (320 μg/m3), 1-hexadecene (768 μg/m3), ethylbenzene (361 μg/m3), xylene (4003 μg/m3) and 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (429 μg/m3) were detected, and the sum of the concentrations determined for all compounds excluding formaldehyde (TVOC) was approximately 14 mg/m3 on the day after the delivery. The concentrations of most compounds decreased with time, but increased with a rise of the interior temperature. The TVOC concentration in the next summer (July, 2000) was approximately one-tenth of the initial concentration. During the 3-year study period, the TVOC concentrations in summer exceeded the indoor guideline value (300 μg/m3) proposed by Seifert (1995) [Seifert B. Volatile organic compounds. In: Maroni M, Seifert B, Lindvall T, editors. Indoor air quality. A comprehensive reference book. Air quality monographs, vol. 3. Netherlands: Elsevier Science; 1995. p. 819–21]. The interior temperature and days lapsed after delivery were the main factors affecting the interior concentrations of most compounds according to multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this study offer useful fundamental data for investigations on air pollution in automotive cabins due to the organic compounds diffusing from the interior materials.
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