Everywhere we go, we’re surrounded by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals that turn to vapour at normal room temperature – as opposed to substances with a higher boiling point, like water.
Both natural and human activity create a cocktail of VOCs in the atmosphere. Human-generated (or ‘anthropogenic’) VOCs come from a wide range of things including fuel, cleaning products, building materials, paint, and printer ink.
VOCs aren’t all bad: in the natural world, they’re responsible for things like animal-plant communication, while for human beings, they’re what makes perfume smell good.
But certain VOCs, and VOCs overall in high concentrations, contribute to air pollution and can have serious health effects. Most commonly, these are respiratory, allergic or nervous symptoms, but some VOCs have been linked to cancer.
The changing face of air pollution
In the past, most air pollution in cities was caused by VOCs emitted by cars and other vehicles. Most people probably assume that this is still the dominant factor in air pollution. But that’s no longer necessarily the case. As an article in The Conversation reports, a recent study shows that the proportion of atmospheric VOCs that can be attributed to vehicles has dropped dramatically, thanks to vehicle emission standards and other regulatory changes.
This is obviously great news, but the study brings to light another aspect of the change, which is that more than half of VOCs in the air outside are now typically generated from chemicals other than vehicle fuel, including things like cleaning products that are used on an industrial scale.
The study also points out that historically, these non-vehicular chemicals have largely been ignored when predicting air pollution, which in turn has led to little regulatory attention.
When it comes to indoor air, the situation is even more serious, as concentrations of VOCs are typically much higher indoors than outdoors.
Protecting yourself and your workers from VOC exposure
The first step in protecting yourself and your colleagues from the hazards of VOC exposure is simply being aware that VOCs exist and can pose a risk. Following that, there are two major steps you can take.
The first is to choose low-VOC or VOC-free products where they are available. The National Asthma Council’s Sensitive Choice website is a great resource for accredited products that are low in VOCs, or otherwise designed for people with asthma and other allergic conditions.
The second step you can take is to make sure buildings are properly ventilated. This is especially a concern with new buildings, as new building materials, joinery and furniture will typically ‘off-gas’ VOCs in higher than usual concentrations. If you have printers or photocopiers in your workplace, you should also think about putting them in a well-ventilated location, as the ink they use is high in VOCs.
How Airsafe can help
Airsafe offers comprehensive [monitoring for volatile organic compounds][link to new landing page]. We can screen for up to 60 different VOCs, or conduct more targeted monitoring for specific industries and activities.
If you have any questions about VOCs, call Airsafe on 1300 888 338.
