If you’re purchasing your first air purifier, it may be because you are worried about the air quality of your surrounding environment. This is why it is important to speak about VOCs. What are they?
VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility.
Alas, many volatile organic compounds are human-made chemicals that are used and produced in several manufacturing sectors such as paints, pharmaceuticals, or refrigerants.
VOCs are usually industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene; fuel oxygenates, such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE); or by-products produced by chlorination in water treatment, such as chloroform.
They can also be components of petroleum fuels, hydraulic fluids, paint thinners, and dry cleaning agents. VOCs are common ground-water contaminants.
Key Takeaways
- VOCs are harmful to humans and can cause a potential threat to health.
- VOCs can cause both short-term and long-term diseases.
- Formaldehyde is one of the most prevalent VOCs in homes.
- You should keep products containing VOCs outside.
How Harmful are VOCs?
VOCs are potentially dangerous to humans because they can cause significant health issues in both the short and long term.
Short-Term Health Issues Caused By VOCs
Possible symptoms related to VOCs include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Cough
- Wheezing or restricted breathing
- Dizziness
- Nose and throat irritation
- Skin irritation
- Fatigue
- Emesis
- Epistaxis or nosebleed (formaldehyde)
- Visual disorders
- Eye infection
- Respiratory tract infection and irritation
- Memory loss
Long-Term Health Issues Caused By VOCs
VOCs can even cause long-term health issues, and they could become serious. The most common issues include:
- Asthma
- Allergic skin reaction (sometimes lasting until the contaminant is removed)
- Hearing loss
- Tremor, lack of coordination (heavy metals like airborne lead and mercury vapor), muscle cramps
- Seizures/loss of consciousness
- Chronic learning deficits
- Hyperactivity
- Reduced attention span
- Intermittent fever
- Personality change
- Neurological dysfunction
- Lung cancer 1
How To deal With VOCs?
First of all, we can all become more aware consumers and start purchasing only the products that don’t make the problem worse.
Second, we could use an air purifier. Of course, an air purifier wouldn’t ensure that we breathe clean air all the time, but we could put one of these devices in the places where we spend the majority of our time during the day. It could be the house, our bedroom, but it could be the office too.
Other Ways Of Reducing VOCs In Your House
Other than purchasing an air purifier, you could also adopt some behaviors such as:
- Improve ventilation: One of the biggest things you can do to reduce the amount of VOCs is to improve the ventilation in your home, especially when you are using products known to contain VOCs. Improving ventilation won’t just help your home feel comfier, but letting fresh air flow indoors will improve your overall indoor air quality.
- Check for formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is one of the most prevalent VOCs in homes, but fortunately, it is also one of the most measurable. We recommend regularly monitoring formaldehyde levels and, if possible, locate the source of the pollution.
- Keep products containing VOCs outdoors: If you have VOC-containing products stored in your home, try relocating these products to an outdoor storage area.
- Avoid mixing household products: Unless stated on the label that it is safe, mixing household products can create even higher levels of VOCs in your home. 2
What Are The Sources of VOCs?
Here are a list of things that contains VOC’s:
- Building materials
- Furnishings
- Craft materials
- Office equipment
- Pesticides
- Cleansers and disinfectants
- Paints & other solvents
- Hobby supplies
- Automotive products
- Aerosol sprays
- Wood preservatives and more 3
Conclusion
To conclude, VOC is extremely toxic and is very bad for health. They are present in day-to-day materials, and we should be more conscious of buying things containing them.
FAQ’s
Which is the most common VOC?
Formaldehyde is the most common type of VOC because it is found in everyday products such as plastic containers and lacquers.
Can air purifiers help in removing VOCs?
Yes, you can buy an air purifier with activated charcoal; it will help in removing VOCs to a good extent.
What is the smell of VOC like?
VOC is lighter than air and have a very distinctive smell. It smells a lot like thinner or perfume.
Kylie has been studying air purifiers for the last 20 years and is an expert in the field. She tests and reviews different air purifiers, letting people know they are worth buying. Kylie writes blogs about the latest air purifiers, their features, health benefits, and more. When she’s not writing or spending time with her granddaughter, Kylie can be found testing new air purifiers to see how they perform.
ARTICLE SOURCES
The National Planning Cycles is committed to producing high-quality content that follows industry standards. We do this by using primary sources, such as white papers and government data alongside original reporting from reputable publishers that were appropriate for the accuracy of information while still being unbiased. We have an editorial policy that includes verifiable facts with due credit given where applicable.
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/pollutants-and-contaminants/volatile-organic-compounds-vocs#:~:text=Human%20health%20and%20environmental%20concerns,are%20suspected%20or%20proven%20carcinogens.[↩]
- https://byrdheatingandair.com/articles/reduce-volatile-organic-chemicals-vocs-indoor-air[↩]
- https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/toxins/voc.htm[↩]