Abstract
We used a small chamber method to examine volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene, from three softwood species in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Tests were conducted for 4 weeks to investigate how the rate of VOC emission changed over time. All VOC emission rates rapidly decreased and could be explained by the sum of two exponential functions. The model was rewritten as a hierarchical Bayesian model to estimate the change in emission rates over time to estimate both intraspecies and interspecies variations. The Markov chain Monte Carlo method was then used to estimate the parameters. Posterior distributions over time were also predicted for VOC emission rates. Then VOC concentrations were simulated using the estimated posterior distributions for a typical room size (30 m3). Our results suggest that high VOC concentrations would shortly occur after installation of wood furnishings, even with adequate ventilation, and that those peak values would exhibit large variations. However, the variations would decrease over time to species-specific VOC concentrations. The model incorporated rather simplified assumptions due to small amount of data used. More intense investigations are needed to gain more accurate and objective predictions.
Highlights
Guidelines and standards for indoor air concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been established in many countries following concerns about indoor air quality
Emission rates for most VOCs monotonically decreased throughout the observation period, except for β-pinene and limonene from some of the tested todomatsu wood samples
After 4 weeks, emission rates of α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) decreased 70–80% for all species evaluated in the study
Summary
Guidelines and standards for indoor air concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been established in many countries following concerns about indoor air quality. Wood composite materials are identified as a potential source of indoor air pollutants, and their emission behaviors have been thoroughly investigated [1, 2]. We had derived a regression model to evaluate acetaldehyde emissions over time from woodbased materials [3]. Solid wood emits terpenes such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene [4]. Some researchers have reported that inhalation of wood oils containing terpenes promotes relaxation [5]. Suzuki et al [6] revealed that α-pinene reduced fatigue in car drivers. Inhaling large concentrations of terpenes in dwellings may be unhealthy. Exposure to high concentrations of Suzuki J Wood Sci (2019) 65:8 to become more widespread in both public facilities and private living spaces
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