Information about the chemical components emitted from the household products employed in many other countries seems to be still relatively scant and insufficient. The emissions composition for 59 consumer products were evaluated using a headspace analysis. The chemical composition and concentrations of total voalatile organic compounds (VOCs) broadly varied along with products. No volatile pollutants were detected for only one product in the household product category of laundry detergents. Except for this product, 1 to 17 organic compounds were detected in the headspace gas phase of each product. The category of oil paints exhibited an upper range for both the number of chemicals detected and the concentrations of total VOC. The chemical composition of certain household products determined in the current study was different from that for other studies from other countries. Four to 37 compounds were detected in the headspace gas phase of each product class. Several compounds were identified in more than one product class. Although several results indicated the dependence of the headspace temperature or period on the proportions of constituents in headspace gas phase, the effect of the headspace conditions on headspace concentrations varied along with the type of household product or analyte. It is suggested that a proper headspace conditions should be considered based on the volatility of components and matrix of each household product as well as the analytical sensitivity.

This study evaluated the technical feasibility of the application of TiO2 photocatalysis for the removal of volatile hydrocarbons(VHC) at low ppb concentrations commonly associated with non-occupational indoor air quality issues. A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate five parameters (relative humidity (RH), hydraulic diameter (HD), feeding type (FT) of VHC, photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) reactor material (RM), and inlet port size (IPS) of PCO reactor) for the PCO destruction efficiencies of the selected target VHC. None of the target VHC presented significant dependence on the RH, which are inconsistent with a certain previous study that reported that under conditions of low humidity and a ppm toluene inlet level, there was a drop in the PCO efficiency with decreasing humidity. However, it is noted that the four parameters (HD, RM, FT and IPS) should be considered for better VHC removal efficiencies for the application of TiO2 photocatalytic technology for cleansing non-occupational indoor air. The PCO destruction of VHC at concentrations associated with non-occupational indoor air quality issues can be up to nearly 100%. The amount of CO generated during PCO were a negligible addition to the indoor CO levels. These abilities can make the PCO reactor an important tool in the effort to improve non-occupational indoor air quality.

Petroleum refineries have been considered as an important emission source for atmospheric volatile hazardous air pollutants(HAPs). The emission source includes petroleum refinery processes and process equipment. The control strategy for volatile HAPs requires emission estimations of these pollutants. However, systematic methods of volatile HAPs emission from petroleum refineries have not yet been established. Accordingly, present study surveyed the estimation method of volatile HAPs emitted from the petroleum refinery processes and process equipment. The emission estimation methods for the petroleum refinery processes are applied for 11 petroleum refining facilities: fluidized catalytic cracking, thermal cracking, moving bed catalytic cracking, compressed engine, blowdown system, vacuum distilled column condensator, natural gas or distilled boiler, natural gas or distilled heater, oil boiler, oil heater and flare. Four emission estimation methods applied for the petroleum refinery process equipment are as follows: average emission factor approach, screening ranges approach, EPA correlation approach and unit-specific correlation approach. The process equipment for which emission factors are available are valves, pump seals, connectors, flanges and open-ended lines.

Evaluated were household THMs exposure associated with the use of municipal tap water treated with chlorine and with ozone-chlorine. The current study measured the THMs concentrations in the tap water and indoor and outdoor air in the two types of household, along with an estimation of THMs exposure from water ingestion, showering, and the inhalation of indoor air. Chloroform was the most abundant THMs in all three media, yet no bromoform was detected in any sample. Contrary to previous findings, the fall water THMs concentrations exhibited no significant difference between the chlorine and ozone-chlorine treated water. However, the spring median chloroform concentration in the tap water treated with chlorine (17.6 ppb) was 1.3 times higher than that in the tap water treated with ozone-chlorine (13.4 ppb). It is suggested that the effects of the water parameters should be considered when evaluating the advantage of ozone-chlorine disinfection for THMs formation over chlorine disinfection. The indoor air THMs concentration trend was also consistent with the water concentration trend, yet the outdoor air THMs concentrations did not differ significantly between the two types of household. The indoor to outdoor air concentration ratios were comparable with previous studies. The THMs exposure estimates from water ingestion, showering, and the inhalation of indoor air suggested that, for the residents living in the surveyed households, their exposure to THMs in the home was mostly associated with their household water use, rather than the indoor air. The THMs exposure estimates from tap water ingestion were similar to those from showering.