Determination of organic compounds in indoor air with potential reference to air quality

Abstract

Concentrations of 15 volatile organic compounds have been investigated in the air of two schoolrooms. The chemical analysis included enrichment on porous polymer beads, heat desorption and gas Chromatographic separation on a capillary column connected to either a flame ionization detector or a mass spectrometer. Samples were collected from the indoor air both in the presence and in the absence of the pupils (boys and girls, age 16–19) as well as from the ambient outdoor air. The qualitative composition of indoor and outdoor air was found to be about the same : aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons predominate, though indoors the number of compounds detected is larger and the concentrations are higher. Both the number and the concentration increase in the presence of humans. The mean concentrations of acetone and the sum of the concentrations of C₂-alkylbenzenes were 7.7 and 8.2 μg m⁻³ respectively in an unoccupied room and increased to 19.8 and 12.1 μg m⁻³ respectively in an occupied room.