Time-Resolved Measurements of Indoor Chemical Emissions, Deposition, and Reactions in a University Art Museum.

Abstract

A 6-week study was conducted at the University of Colorado Art Museum, during which volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), other trace gases, and submicron aerosol were measured continuously. These measurements were then analyzed using a box model to quantify the rates of major processes that transformed the composition of the air. VOC emission factors were quantified for museum occupants and their activities. The deposition of VOCs to surfaces was quantified across a range of VOC saturation vapor concentrations ( C*) and Henry's Law constants ( H) and determined to be a major sink for VOCs with C* < 108 μg m-3 and H > 102 M atm-1. The reaction rates of VOCs with O3, OH radicals, and nitrate (NO3) radicals were quantified, with unsaturated and saturated VOCs having oxidation lifetimes of >5 and >15 h, making deposition to surfaces and ventilation the dominant VOC sinks in the museum. O3 loss rates were quantified inside a museum gallery, where reactions with surfaces, NO, occupants, and NO2 accounted for 62%, 31%, 5%, and 2% of the O3 sink. The measured concentrations of acetic acid, formic acid, NO2, O3, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and total VOCs were below the guidelines for museums.