Health evaluation of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from wood and wood-based materials

In this study, the authors describe a method for evaluation of material emissions. The study was based on chemical analysis of emissions from 23 materials representing solid wood and wood-based materials commonly used in furniture, interior furnishings, and building products in Denmark in the 1990s. The authors used the emission chamber testing method to examine the selected materials with a qualitative screening and quantitative determination of volatile organic compounds. The authors evaluated the toxicological effects of all substances identified with chamber testing. Lowest concentration of interest and standard room concentrations were assessed, and the authors calculated an S-value for each wood and wood-based material. The authors identified 144 different chemical substances with the screening analyses, and a total of 84 individual substances were quantified with chamber measurements. The irritative effects dominated at low exposure levels; therefore, the lowest concentration of interest and the S-value were based predominantly on these effects. The S-values were very low for solid ash, oak, and beech. For solid spruce and pine, the determining substances for size of the S-value were delta3-carene, alpha-pinene, and limonene. For the surface-treated wood materials, the S-value reflected the emitted substances from the surface treatment.