Indoor Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are classified as known or possible toxicants and odorants. This study characterized VOC levels in 11 homes in an area in the capital of Seoul by using two different methods of VOCs sampling, which are the active sampling using a thermal sorption tube and the passive sampling using a diffusion sampler. When using the active sampling method, the total target VOC concentration ranged from 41.7 to 420.7 μg/ m3 (mean 230.4 μg/m3; median 221.8 μg/m3) during winter and 21.3 to 1,431.9 μg/m3 (mean 340.1 μg/m3; median 175.4 μg/m3) during summer. When using the passive method, 29.6 to 257.5 μg/m3 (mean 81.8 μg/m3; median 49.4 μg/m3) during winter and 1.2 to 5,131.1 μg/m3 (mean 1,758.8 μg/m3; median 1,375.1 μg/m3) during summer. Forty-nine VOCs were quantified and toluene showed the highest concentration regardless of the season and the sampling method studied. The distribution of VOCs was relatively varied by using the active method. However, it showed a low correlation with indoor environmental factors such as room temperature, humidity and ventilation time. The correlation between indoor environmental factors and VOCs were relatively high in the passive method. In particular, these characteristics were confirmed by principal component analysis.

This study compared the stability of odor compounds in three different types of polymer sampling bags. Tedlar, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and aluminized polyester bag were used. A sample was collected from the interior of a new automobile which was parked in an outdoor parking lot. It was found that the Tedlar bag showed lower stability for odor active compounds than the PET bag. Meanwhile, the PET bag had good stability for odor compounds compared to the aluminized polyester bag. The PET bag showed a stability for the molecules smaller than toluene that was comparable to the canister, but showed a lower recovery for molecules bigger than C7. The FID signal of the sample in the PET bag was reduced by 1.7times after 3days storage compared to 24 h storage. The number of detected odor active compounds was reduced by half, and odor intensity was also decreased by 2~3 degrees. Considering the factors of repeated use, usability and price, a PET bag covered with a black plastic bag was the most appropriate approach for odor sampling in an automobile interior.