Environmental chamber test methodology for characterizing organic vapors from solid emission sources

Abstract

Environmental test chambers are an important tool in the characterization of organic emissions from solid consumer and construction products and in the evaluation of their potential impact on indoor air quality. The results of extensive research concerning formaldehyde (CH 2O) emissions from such products strongly support this application of environmental chambers to measure product emissions and provide useful input for the design of environmental chamber studies. The physical design and test methodology for environmental chambers are strongly influenced by several elements in a comprehensive project plan for source characterization, including the selection process for test samples and the mathematical models used to interpret the organic emissions data. The protocol for environmental chamber testing extends broadly from the acquisition, preparation and conditioning of test specimens, to the selection and control of environmental test conditions, and to the calibration and measurement of system parameters and organic emissions. The requirements for environmental control inside the test chamber can be estimated from the sensitivity of the organic emission rates of the test products (e.g. CH 2O emissions from pressed-wood products) to variation in environmental parameters. The cost of the numerous, multiple-organic analyses required for environmental chamber testing of solid emitters is seen as a strong limitation to product selection strategies and modeling efforts. The modeling of organic emissions from solid emitters can be both a planning tool for development of chamber test methodology and a means to interpret test chamber results.