Client Description: University Campus

HygieneTech conducted indoor air quality surveys on two separate occasions and the objectives of the surveys were to first establish background data for typical indoor airborne contaminants when no furnishings were present in the office areas, and then later data were recorded after new furnishings were installed in order to determine if any consequential change in airborne levels of common contaminants occurred as a result of that occupancy. The primary target airborne contaminants of concern included formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs).

The resultant data were referenced against the applicable indoor air quality standards as listed in document GB/T 18883-2002 entitled, People’s Republic of China, Indoor Air Quality Standard, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. ( ASHRAE) theoretical value guidelines for non-occupational environments .

Air sampling conducted after the new furnishings were installed indicated that formaldehyde was consistently detected in the surveyed areas at levels that exceeded or approached the applicable GB/T 18883-2002 Indoor Air Quality Standards and/or ASHRAE theoretical values over the 1-hour averaged sampling periods. TVOCs were also detected at levels that exceeded the 8-hour average for n-hexane of 0.60 mg/M 3 , as defined in document GB/T 18883-2002. These above-background levels of TVOCs and formaldehyde were expected to have been the result of the newly installed furnishings.

And while the airborne concentrations of those specific volatiles were expected to decrease over time, HygieneTech recommended actions designed to accelerate furniture off-gassing. HygieneTech also recommended that feasible controls be investigated and implemented in order to reduce the indoor formaldehyde and TVOC concentrations, such as general exhaust ventilation or natural ventilation.