Variation of VOCs Inside a New Car during the First Year and Their Relationship to Temperature

Abstract

Passenger exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from vehicle interiors has increasingly drawn public concern over their potential health risks. This study aimed to investigate ambient levels of in-cabin VOCs in a new car over the period of one year after first delivery. The relationship between VOC concentrations and in-cabin temperature was also studied. Seventeen active air samplings inside a parked new car were conducted from February 2012 to February 2013 using sorbent tubes. Six VOCs were measured with first-month average concentrations of 215 µg m^-3 for benzene, 65.6 µg m^-3 for toluene, 151 µg m^-3 for 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 806 µg m^-3 for ethyl acetate, 183 µg m^-3 for formaldehyde, and 28.2 µg m^-3 for acetone. The concentration profiles of all VOCs except formaldehyde declined, falling below the detection limits towards the end of the 1-year monitoring period. Formaldehyde concentrations were found to be directly proportional to in-cabin temperature at a significance level of p = 0.05 during the first five months.