VOLATILE ORGANIC EMISSIONS FROM ADHESIVES WITH INDOOR APPLICATIONS

Studies have shown that volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted from building materials are a potentially important source of indoor air pollution. In this study, we investigated emissions of VOC from both solvent- and water-based adhesives. Adhesives were applied to an inert substrate and dried for at least a week. VOC were cryogenically trapped and identified by GC-MS or sorbent trapped, solvent extracted, and quantified by GC-FID. Among the compounds emitted by adhesives were toluene, styrene, and a variety of normal, branched, and cyclic alkanes. The measured emission rates ranged from below the limit of detection for some adhesives to a total alkane emission rate of over 700 ..mu..g g/sup -1/h/sup -1/ for a water-based adhesive. A simple, well-mixed tank model was used to assess the potential impacts of the adhesives studied and to demonstrate that adhesives can be significant sources of VOC. 8 references, 1 figure, 2 tables.