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Asbestos |
Respirable Particulates (PM2.5) |
Temperature | Relative Humidity | Carbon Dioxide | Carbon Monoxide | |
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ATC Environmental Monitoring -
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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemical compounds that contain
carbon and hydrogen and that volatilize (evaporate, off-gas, get into the
air) easily, where they present an inhalation hazard. There are thousands
of natural and synthetic VOCs, of which over 900 have been identified in
indoor air. These include acetone, hexane, toluene, xylene, and benzene.
Numerous indoor sources may produce VOCs, including new carpets and
upholstery, composition board and other building materials, paints,
adhesives, plastics, cleaning compounds, and printing and photocopier
products and byproducts. In the current situation, there is concern that
large quantities of these substances were present in the World Trade Center
and were and continue to be released in the ongoing fires and recovery
operations.
Identification and measurement of individual VOCs are expensive, time-consuming, and difficult. As a result, total VOCs (TVOCs) are often measured without distinguishing specific chemicals. There are no clear-cut, applicable standards for exposure to VOCs in school or office (as opposed to industrial) environments. TVOCs at Stuyvesant are being measured in parts per million (ppm). The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) recommends a TVOC exposure limit of 1 ppm. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends using one tenth of industrial exposure limits. The European Community has a guideline for TVOCs of 0.3 mg/m3, where no individual VOC should exceed 10% of the TVOC concentration. Canadian and U.S. standards for TVOCs of 1 and 5 mg/m3 respectively are being considered but have not been implemented. Research has demonstrated that VOCs at concentrations much lower than
those encountered in industrial settings can cause discomfort or adverse
health effects. Symptoms of low TVOC exposure include fatigue, headache,
drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, joint pain, peripheral numbness or
tingling, tightness in the chest, blurred vision, and skin and eye
irritation. Hypersensitive individuals can have severe reactions at
extremely low concentrations. Some VOCs, such as benzene, are carcinogens
(cancer-causing).
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