Material emissions and indoor simulation

Building materials are important sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde in indoor environments. There is a requirement from the building designers to provide sustainable development of buildings that would encompass the consideration of health risks which could be posed by the high emissions of VOCs, formaldehyde and other organic chemicals from indoor materials and furniture, particularly during the early few years after completion of a building. Buildings are now being built with much higher air-tightness requirement according to building regulations and there should be a corresponding need to further examine the emissions from building materials and to develop a system to evaluate the possible impact on indoor concentrations as a part of indoor environmental evaluation based on zero or low-carbon building scenarios. This paper provides a review of the emission parameters for characterisation of material emissions, including a consideration of airflow, material loading, air exchange, diffusion, sink effects, barrier layers and sorption of VOCs in both environmental chamber and in realistic built environment of an apartment or a room in a house. The development of emission parameters would allow the simulation of material emissions and prediction of indoor concentrations of VOCs in indoor environments.