The need for standardised guideline values to
interpret results from indoor air pollution
Sandrine BLADT
Priscilla DECLERCK
During each visit, the professionals of the green ambulance
measure different chemical and biological pollutants:
-Volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
-Formaldehyde,
-Lead in paintings,
-Carbon monoxide,
-Particulate matter,
-Biological pollutants
Workshop on HBM and indoor/outdoor air quality
December 2nd, 2011
Case study
Louise complains about having headaches
and intermittent nausea persumed to be
linked to certain kinds of odors
Results
• Biological analyses: ok
• Formaldehyde:
Livingroom: 31 µg/m³
Kitchen:
35 µg/m³
Bathroom:
20 µg/m³
Bedroom:
52 µg/m³
Mean = 34.5 µg/m³!
275 µg/m³ inside the wooden wardrobe!
• VOCs: (ug/m3)
Mp-xylène Limonene
TVOCs
indoor
Benzene
Toluene
Livingroom
50
399
47
32
619
Kitchen
46
372
41
25
570
Bathroom
49
399
49
31
619
Bedroom
12
92
18
28
153
Mean
39
315
39
29
483
TVOCs
outdoor
3
28
10
21
75
World Health Organisation (2000):
« A guideline value is a particular form of guideline. It has a
numerical value expressed either as e.g. a concentration in
ambiant air, which is linked to an averaging time. In the case
of human health, the guideline value provides a
concentration below which no adverse effect or (in the
case of odorous compounds), no nuisance or indirect
health significance are expected, although it does not
guarantee the absolute exclusion of effects at concentrations
below the given value »
Guideline values for formaldehyde
Guideline value
Exposure time
3
(µg/m )
WHO
100
30 minutes
Germany
125
?
123
1h
50
Long term
50
2h
Health Canada
France
10
Louise
Entire life
Guideline values for TVOCs
• United States: 200 µg/m³ as a range of comfort
• Germany: 300 µg/m³ as a target value
Louise
! No values related to a certain exposure time
! No identical list of VOCs available
Are the current available guideline
values applicable?
• Incomplete
• They depend on different parameters:
- way of living, building materials, climate,…
- analytical methods
Need for comparability!
• Sometimes there is no guideline value e.g.
limonene.
Global Chemical Pollution Index
• Developed by the Brussels Green Ambulance
• Based on a database of > 1500 surveys
• Same principle as the index on atmospheric
pollution
the Belg. Interregional Cell for the Environment
• Does not directly take into account health factors
but permits to compare situations in a less or more
objective way
Construction of the index: step 1
benzene a-pinene
limonene
toluene trichloroethylene tetrachloroethylene formaldehyde TVOCs
P20
1,7
3,5
3,4
8,8
0,1
0,3
13,9
44,1
P50
3,6
8,3
9,1
16,7
0,6
1,2
24,4
82,9
P70
6,0
15,3
15,1
26,7
1,5
2,7
33,8
122,4
P90
14,6
37,8
34,2
62,4
6,2
7,6
54,2
239.0
P95
22,7
58,4
54,4
92,8
12,7
12.0
64,9
445,3
Construction of the index: step 2
0
Benzene
Toluene
Trichlorethylene
Tetrachlorethylene
Limonene
pinene
Formaldehyde
TVOCs
INDEX
P20
0-1,7
0-8,8
0-0,1
0-0,3
0-3,4
0-3,5
0-14
0-44
Excellent
P20 P50 P50 P70
1,7-3,6
3,6-6
8,8-17
17-27
0,1-0,6
0,6-1,5
0,3-1,2
1,2-2,7
3,4-9
9-15
3,5-8,3
8,3-15
14-24
24-34
44-83
83-122
Good
Normal
PERCENTILES (µg/m³)
P70 P90
6-14,6
27-62
1,5-6
2,7-7,5
15-34
15-38
34-54
122-239
Bad
P90 P95
14,6-22,7
62-93
6-13
7,5-12
34-54
38-58
54-65
239-445
Very Bad
> P95
> 22,7
>93
>13
>12
>54
>58
> 65
> 445
Execrable
• The overall chemical pollution index of the dwelling
is mentioned in each report = TVOCs Index:
Louise
Benzene overall
index for
the dwelling
is
0-48
48-80
80-108
108-178
178-242
TCOV
Excellent
Good
Normal
Bad
Very Bad
• Benzene overall index for the dwelling is:
Louise
Louise’s place
> 242
Execrable
Louise
Formaldéhyde
0-14
Excellent
14-25
Good
25-35
Normal
35-54
Bad
54-62
Very Bad
> 62
Execrable
Advantages of our index
• The chemical pollution index is a tool to
facilitate the global understanding of the
chemical situation of a dwelling for the
physicians
• It allows patients to visualise the level of
chemical pollution of their indoor home
environment
Limitations of our index
• With exeption of lead, where there is a known doseeffect relationship, the index does not take into account
the ‘health factor’
• We have to take into account the existence of
synergetic effects between chemical and/or biological
substances or pollutants
• The index is based on analytical results from
measurements realised in dwellings with suspected
health problems no information on dwellings in
general
General conclusion
• There is an urgent need to obtain and define
guideline values:
- standardised for all countries, realistic and
easy applicable
- They need to adress health criteria
more information on the exposure on long
term and at low doses