Emissions of DEHP-free PVC flooring

Area of Science:

• Building materials science
• Indoor air quality research
• Environmental chemistry

Background:

• Phthalate plasticizers like DEHP in PVC flooring pose health risks.
• EU regulations are driving a market shift towards DEHP-free PVC alternatives.
• Limited data exists on emissions from these newer DEHP-free PVC flooring products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess surface and bulk emissions from two DEHP-free PVC floorings over three years.
• To investigate the impact of relative humidity (RH) on emission rates.
• To identify specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted and their sources.

Main Methods:

• Utilized FLEC for surface emissions and micro-chamber/thermal extractor (µ-CTE) for bulk emissions.
• Sampled VOCs onto Tenax TA adsorbents.
• Analyzed emissions using thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS).
• Tested emissions at 75%, 85%, and 95% RH.

Main Results:

• 2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) emissions primarily originated from the adhesive.
• C9-alcohols were emitted by both DEHP-free floorings across all tested RH levels.
• Higher RH (95%) resulted in significantly increased emissions compared to 75% and 85% RH.

Conclusions:

• DEHP-free PVC flooring can emit C9-alcohols, potentially masking degradation.
• The adhesive is a key source of 2-EH emissions.
• Detecting flooring degradation is challenging with DEHP-free products, especially when adhesives do not emit 2-EH.