Organic substances in buildings

Organic gases
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from building materials, furniture, sealants, carpets (e.g. formaldehyde, styrene, xylene, ethylbenzene, tetrachlorethylene, trichloroethane, acetone), from various paints, cleaning agents, cosmetics (chloroform, benzene, styrene), from insecticides, pesticides, electronic devices (chloroform, ethylbenzene) and from burning (mainly cigarette smoke). For their detection, large-capacity pumps are used, which pass the air through a filter on which the substances are captured, or the air is bubbled through a solution in which it reacts with some reagent. In both cases, the amount of the detected substance is determined in the laboratory. If we want to determine the exposure of an individual, we can use a personal sampling kit or a passive dosimeter.