This study was performed to investigate the characteristics of VOCs and carbonyl compounds emitted by smallscale master, offset, and screen printing facilities. During the printing process, concentration measurements of indoor samples were made at each on the printer equipment and the indoor center of the facility. In each case, the window or door served as natural ventilation, and concentration measurements of outdoor samples were made at each air exit point. The results showed that in all printing facilities, the levels of VOCs and carbonyl compounds were much higher in printer equipment compared to indoor levels. Comparative examination of VOCs between printer equipment and the indoors of the facility, the main species of master and offset printer equipment were Methyl isocyanide, 2,2,6-Trimethyloctane, 2,2-Dimethyldecane, 3,7-Dimethyldecane, Toluene, Acetonitrile, and 3- Methoxy-3-methylbutanol. The main species of the indoors of master and offset facilities were Toluene, 2,2,6- Trimethyl-octane, Isopropyl alcohol, 3-Methoxy–3- methylbutanol, Nonane, and Acetone. However, in the screen printing facility, the printer and indoor emission compounds were the same such as 2-Methyl-cyclopentanone, Cyclohexanone, Ethylbenzene, and p-Xylene. Among the compounds released to the outside, Toluene and Acetone were the most abundant species of VOCs and carbonyl compounds, respectively.
The use of printing inks containing organic solvents by the master, offset and screen printing process implies the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the work environment. In this study, the volatile content of inks was evaluated by using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), in which the solvent is evaporated. And, to identify the the characterization of VOCs emissions from printing inks, air samples were collected in a thermal extractor (TE) and analyzed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Weight loss curves suggest that there are two main stages, such as dry fastening and chemical curing. As the result, the first stage of mass loss (below 100oC) was due to VOC evaporation. At this stage, master and offset inks are slightly stable thermally up to 100oC, but screen inks weight loss increases distinctly beyond 25oC. The volatile content is higher in screen inks than in the master and offset inks. The results of the mass-specific TVOC emission rate of the master, offset, and screen inks were 6.3 μg/(g·h), 8.4 μg/(g·h), and 212.2 μg/(g·h), respectively. Then the TVOC emission rate of the screen inks was 25~33 times higher than that of the master and offset inks. The main species were 1-Ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4,5-Tetramethylbenzene, 1-Methoxy-2- propanol, Decane, Undecane, and Nonane.
Indoor air environments for people are recently being observed because the time we spend inside the house or a building throughout the day has been extended during the present circumstances. This is why formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are regulated, which can cause Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). There might be other VOCs not regulated by law in newly built collective housing, however, in order to compensate for the reduced concentration of regulated VOCs such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene. In this study, the concentration of unregulated VOCs in newly built collective housing structures located in the Seoul Special City was researched to find potential indoor hazards for citizens and to prepare basic data for further research.
The goal of this study was to measure the indoor and outdoor fine and ultrafine particulate matter concentrations (PM10, PM1.0) of some houses in Yeosu and in S university in Asan from March to September 2018. PM10 concentration in indoor air in Yeosu area was 18.25 μg/m3, while for outdoor air it was 14.53 μg/m3. PM1.0 concentration in indoor air in the Asan area was 1.70 μg/m3, while for outdoor air it was 1.76 μg/m3, showing a similar trend. Heavy metal concentrations in the Yeosu region were the highest, at Mn 2.81 μg/m3, Cr 1.30 μg/ m3, and Ni 1.11 μg/m3 indoors. Outside, similar concentrations were found, at Cr 3.44 μg/m3, Mn, 2.60 μg/m3, and Ni 1.71 μg/m3. Our analysis of indoor and outdoor PM concentrations in the Asan region, which was carried out using the MOUDI (Micro-orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor) technique, found that PM concentration is related to each particle size concentration, as the concentration of 18 μm and 18-10 μm inside tends to increase by 3.2- 1.8 μm and 0.56-0.32 μm.
This study was performed to assess particulate matter removal efficiency of domestic air cleaner products in a field condition. The assessment also included air cleaners with different air removal mechanisms. The particulate matter (PM2.5) removal test with a different air removal mechanism using air cleaners showed that the electrostatic precipitation technique showed better performance compared with HEPA filters and other types of systems. Its removal efficiency was almost 95% in one of our operation times in the given test condition. It was assumed that not only the type of removal system but also the individual design, supply and exhaust system, and the automatically controlled air volume are involved in the removal efficiency. With respect to the area of application, tests with air cleaners for 40 m2, 60 m2, and 80 m2 areas revealed that particulate matter removal efficiency increased with the air cleaner that had a broad area of application. However, particulate matter removal efficiency by air cleaners did not correspondingly increase with the increase of the area of application. Moreover, the installation location did not influence particulate matter removal efficiency. Our results are expected to be used as the basic information for indoor air quality improvement and prediction using air cleaners.
The purpose of this study was to characterize the concentration of and evaluate the pollution level of indoor air pollutants among the public-use facilities located in Seoul that are mainly used by medically sensitive users. The data used in this study were analyzed based on the supervision data provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and the Environment. There were 399 nursery schools, 188 medical facilities, 42 elderly care facilities and 96 postnatal care centers. The indoor air pollutants to be investigated were analyzed for PM10, CO2, HCHO, TAB and CO. Through the analysis, it was found that among the surveyed pollutants, TAB levels exceeded the criteria most often, in 54 facilities. Among the surveyed facilities, nursery schools exceeded the criteria most often, in 49 facilities. There was a statistically significant difference between the pollutants in each facility (p<05). However, considering the characteristics of the data used in this study, additional factors should be investigated for factors affecting the concentration of each indoor air pollutant for a more rational evaluation.
In this study, the distribution of each facility group, the pollution level of local municipalities and the status of self-measurement were investigated and analyzed using data provided by the Ministry of Environment. It was found that most of the workplaces to be managed are facilities of sensitive class, indoor parking lots and largescale stores. The results of the survey on the total pollution level by facility group showed that the rate of contamination was the highest in the facilities where there are many sensitive users, including the subway station and the underground shopping malls. Through self-measurement, in the case of fine particle matter, it was found that it was present in amounts of 51.71 μg/m3, 50.72 μg/m3, 44.47 μg/m3 and 54.44 μg/m3 in medical institutions, day care centers, elderly care facilities and postnatal care centers, respectively. Also, there were facilities exceeding the standard in the medical institutions. However, most of the pollutants in the facilities surveyed by the municipality are higher than the self-measured concentrations, so it is necessary to examine the cause of such pollution.
Volatile organic compounds(VOCs) detected frequently in the indoor air of child-care centers causes neurological disorders, lung, eyes, and bronchial irritation, and acute and chronic toxicity. In this study, the distributions of carcinogenic VOCs detected in child-care centers were characterized and a health risk assessment of the VOCs was performed, which can provide the necessary information for drawing up safety plans with respect to the concerned materials. The sampling of sites in day-care centers was undertaken two times: in the morning (10:00~12:00), and afternoon(16:00~20:00)-at 23 daycare centers located in Seoul, Korea from April, 2012 to July, 2012. The overall average concentrations of individual VOCs were benzene(1.61 μg/m3) > carbon tetrachloride (0.78 μg/m3) > chloroform(0.67 μg/m3) in order. Indoor/outdoor(I/O) ratios of benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform were 1.33, 1.09, 1.72, respectively. Benzene and carbon tetrachloride are thought to be more strongly associated with outdoor sources as compared to chloroform. Spearman correlation of benzene, carbon tetrachloride between indoor and outdoor concentration showed statistically significant levels(p < 0.05). The linear correlations for benzene, styrene, and carbon tetrachloride were tested. A significant correlation was observed only for carbon tetrachloride, accounting for 83 % of the variance. The risk assessment of the carcinogenic VOCs for teachers, infants, and children showed that none of the targeted VOCs posed a serious risk.
본 연구를 통한 결론은 다음과 같다. 5개의 염색폐수배출업소에서 각각 3회씩 채취한 최종 방류수를 대상으로 한 생물독성시험 결과 미생물독성시험에서는 B시료와 E시료에서 독성이 관찰되었고 급성 물벼룩시험에서는 반수치사농도가 C시료에서만 관찰되어 염색폐수의 독성이 시험 생물종별로 다르게 나타날 수 있음을 제시하였다. 동일 생물종을 대상으로 실시한 급성 및 만성시험에서는 급성반수치사가 5개 방류수 중 C시료에서만 비교적 낮은 농도에서 관찰이 된 것에 비해 만
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in essentially all natural and synthetic materials from petrol to flowers. In this study, indoor and outdoor VOCs concentrations of houses, offices and internet-cafes were measured and compared simultaneously with personal exposures of each 50 participants in Asan and Seoul, respectively. Also, factors that influence personal VOCs exposure were statistically analyzed using questionnaires in relation to house characteristics, time activities, and health effects. All VOCs concentrations were measured by OVM passive samplers (3M) and analyzed with GC/MS. Target pollutants among VOCs were Toluene, o-Xylene, m/p-Xylene, Ethylbenzene, MIBK, n-Octane, Styrene, Trichloroethylene, and 1,2-Dichlorobenzene.
Indoor and outdoor VOCs concentrations measured in Seoul were significantly higher than those in Asan except Ethylbenzene. Residential indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios for all target compounds ranged from 0.94 to 1.51 and I/O ratios of Asan were a little higher than those of Seoul. Relationship between personal VOCs exposure, and indoor and outdoor VOCs concentrations suggested that time-activity pattern could affect the high exposure to air pollutant. Factors that influence indoor VOCs level and personal exposure with regard to house characteristics in houses were building age, inside smoking and house type. In addition insecticide and cosmetics interestingly affected the VOCs personal exposure. Higher exposure to VOCs might be caused to be exciting increase and memory reduction, considering the relationship between measured VOCs concentrations and questionnaire (p<0.05).