Hot Keywords: Environmental Testing Environmental Reliability Testing Food Material Testing

Contact GTS

VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Testing

VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Testing

1. What are VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)?

There are multiple definitions for VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). For example, the US ASTM D3960-98 standard defines VOC as any organic compound that participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions; the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines it as any carbon compound that participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions, excluding CO, CO2, H2CO3, metal carbides, metal carbonates, and ammonium carbonate. The World Health Organization (WHO, 1989) defines Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) as the sum of volatile organic compounds with melting points below room temperature and boiling points between 50–260°C.

2. Hazards of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds):

VOCs can react with nitrogen oxides under sunlight and heat to form ozone, which deteriorates air quality and is a major component of summer smog. VOCs easily cross the blood-brain barrier, leading to central nervous system depression. When VOC concentrations reach certain levels, they can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and in severe cases, convulsions, coma, damage to the liver, kidneys, brain, and nervous system, resulting in memory loss and other serious consequences.

The effects of VOCs on the human body can be categorized into three types:

(1) Odor and sensory effects, including sensory irritation and feelings of dryness;

(2) Illness caused by mucosal irritation and other systemic toxicity, such as irritation of the eye mucosa, nasal mucosa, respiratory tract, and skin;

(3) Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. (Of course, the effects of VOCs on humans are concentration-dependent.)

3. VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Testing Items:

Scope of Application	Testing Items	Testing Methods
1. Combined VOC Substance Testing	VOC and TVOC 54 Items	EPA 5021
1. Combined VOC Substance Testing	EN71-9 Solvent Inhalation (10 Items)	EN71-10 & -11
2. VOC Testing Applicable to Finished Products or Components	BIFMA X7.1 Office Furniture	BIFMA X7.1-2007
	Decree 2011-321 French Building Product VOC Labeling Requirements	Decree 2011-321 Emission test chamber method
	Tedlar Bag Method	In house method - Tedlar Bag
	ISO 16000-9 Building Products	ISO 16000-9:2006
3. Applicable to Paints or Adhesives	Extractable Pb, Cr, Cd and Hg	GB18582
	Organic Volatile Compounds
	Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene
	Free Formaldehyde
4. Applicable to Paints or Adhesives (continued)	Benzene	GB18583
	Toluene + Xylene
	Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI)
	Dichloromethane, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene
	Total Organic Volatile Compounds
	Free Formaldehyde