[Variation in indoor air pollutant concentrations with time in a newly constructed private house].

An indoor air quality research project was conducted in a new private house built in January 1997 to investigate time course changes in formaldehyde concentrations during an 11-month period from April 1997 to February 1998. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen dioxide were also measured in August 1997 and February 1998. Indoor formaldehyde concentrations were measured 14 times (48 hrs sampling for each measurement) for 28 days in the living room, a bedroom and the kitchen in April '97. The concentrations exceeded the Japanese Government's guideline value of 0.08 ppm in 34 of the 42 (81.0%). Day to day variation in the formaldehyde concentration was found to be substantial, the range being between 0.073 and 0.232 ppm for the bedroom, for example. In June and August '97, values for 20 of 21 measurements exceeded the guideline, the results suggesting that indoor formaldehyde concentrations remain high until 7 months after the completion of construction. There were positive correlations between the formaldehyde concentrations in the living room and the kitchen and personal exposure levels to formaldehyde, the result indicating a direct influence of the home environment. The formaldehyde concentration in the living room also exhibited a positive correlation with the room temperature. Natural ventilation by opening windows was found to be effective for decreasing the concentration of formaldehyde in the indoor air. Indoor VOC concentrations decreased rapidly after the completion of construction except for that of toluene, which was higher than the outdoor concentration even after 7 months. Indoor concentrations of all of the VOCs were, however, found to be almost the same as those outdoor at the 13 month time point. Indoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations measured in the bedroom in winter (February '98) exceeded the Environmental Air Quality Standard in Japan, this result being considered due to use of an oil fan heater. These data suggest that personal exposure levels to formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide are high in newly constructed private homes in Japan. In order to avoid prolonged exposure to high concentrations of indoor air pollutants, it is considered very important to take measures such as of use building materials with low formaldehyde emissions and to discontinue the use of oil fan heaters.