Research data on volatile organic compounds detected in indoor and outdoor air of residential environments in the US

<b>Introduction</b>Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility, which are emitted from solid or liquid sources. Emission sources indoors include furniture and building materials, cleaning and cooking activities, consumer products and office equipment. Among the various VOCs, some of them may have short- and/or long-term adverse health effects. Therefore, it is important to understand the VOC compositions that people are exposed to in indoor and outdoor environments. However, accurate monitoring of VOCs is not available for many researchers and the public. Chemical Insights, a unit of UL Research Institutes, has conducted research initiatives on characterizing VOCs in indoor and outdoor environments in the US with collaboration with US EPA. To increase data transparency and share useful information, these research data are made available to stakeholders such as researchers, educators, and general public who may need environmental VOC data.<b>Methods</b>The methods of sample collection and analysis have been developed and validated previously. VOCs were collected on Tenax® TA (60/80 mesh) sorbent tubes and then thermally desorbed and analyzed by thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) following the US EPA Methods TO-17¹ and TO-1². Individual VOCs were quantified using multi-point calibration curves with authentic standards if available. Total VOC (TVOC) was the sum of toluene equivalent response in C₆ to C₁₆ range. Low-molecular-weight carbonyls (aldehydes) samples were collected on 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridges and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) following EPA Method TO-11A³. The laboratory quality program enables the accuracy of the identification and quantification of analyzed VOCs and aldehydes. This campaign recruited 6 homes for July 2022 sampling⁴ and 38 homes for September and October 2023 sampling⁵ in Tulare, California. Details of the study and sampling plan can be found in published technical reports.^4,⁵<b>Database</b>This database includes all detected VOCs with their concentrations from the US campaign. This database provides information on indoor and outdoor VOC compositions and levels. The studied region in California is a rural, agriculturally intensive county that is frequently impacted by wildfire smoke. Wildfire brings a mixture of hazardous contaminants due to combustion and photoreaction, which may penetrate indoors and elevate the VOC levels. This database provides information on indoor and outdoor VOC compositions and levels without the impact of wildfire. This database can be used as a baseline to compare with the air quality impacted by wildfire or wildland urban interface (WUI) activities. It also provides source information on indoor and outdoor VOCs, such as those related to agriculture, cleaning and cooking activities, which can be used for further research topics. This data is beneficial for a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers, manufacturers, researchers, policymakers, educators, and the public. <b>Please see </b><b>ULRI_US_NOTE file</b><b> for details of data dictionary.</b><b>Data portal</b>The data portal provides an interactive way of viewing and screening data by selecting the parameters of interest. Users can download the data as needed.<b>References</b>US EPA. Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air Second Edition Compendium Method TO-17 Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds in Ambient Air Using Active Sampling Onto Sorbent Tubes, 1999.US EPA. Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air - Second Edition. Compendium Method TO-1 Method for the Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ambient Air Using Tenax® Adsorption and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), 1999.US EPA. Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air Second Edition Compendium Method TO-11A Determination of Formaldehyde in Ambient Air Using Adsorbent Cartridge Followed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), 1999.Chemical Insights Research Institute. <i>Final Report: The Effect of Wildfires and the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) on Indoor Air Quality and Health in Residential Homes</i>; report; UL Research Institutes, 2025. https://doi.org/10.60752/102376.28515788.v1.Chemical Insights Research Institute. <i>Pilot Study: The Effect of Wildfires and the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) on Indoor Air Quality and Health in Residential Homes</i>; UL Research Institutes, 2023. https://chemicalinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chemical-Insights_Indoor-Air-Quality_Report-330_final.pdf (accessed 2025-04-24).<br>

**引言** 挥发性有机化合物（Volatile organic compounds, VOCs）是一类蒸气压高、水溶解度低的化合物，可从固态或液态污染源排放。室内排放源包括家具与建材、清洁烹饪活动、消费品及办公设备。在各类VOC中，部分物质会对人体产生短期和/或长期不良健康影响。因此，了解人们在室内外环境中接触的VOC组成至关重要。然而，准确的VOC监测对多数研究者与普通公众而言仍难以实现。UL Research Institutes旗下的Chemical Insights部门，曾与美国环境保护署（US EPA）合作，在美国开展了室内外环境VOC表征相关研究。为提升数据透明度并共享实用信息，该研究团队将相关数据开放给有环境VOC数据需求的利益相关方，包括研究者、教育工作者及普通公众。
**方法** 样本采集与分析方法已在前期完成开发与验证。VOC样本通过Tenax® TA（60/80目）吸附管采集，随后采用热脱附-气相色谱/质谱联用法（TD-GC/MS）进行分析，遵循美国EPA标准方法TO-17¹与TO-1²。若有标准品可用，将通过多点校准曲线对单个VOC进行定量。总挥发性有机化合物（Total VOC, TVOC）为C₆至C₁₆范围内甲苯等效响应值的总和。低分子量羰基化合物（醛类）样本通过2,4-二硝基苯肼（DNPH）采样管采集，并依据EPA方法TO-11A³采用高效液相色谱法（HPLC）进行分析。实验室质量控制程序可确保所分析VOC及醛类的定性与定量准确性。本次采样活动于2022年7月在加利福尼亚州图莱里县招募了6户家庭⁴，并于2023年9月至10月招募了38户家庭⁵开展采样。研究详情与采样方案可参见已发表的技术报告^4,5。
**数据集** 本数据集包含本次美国采样活动中检测到的所有VOC及其浓度信息，提供室内外VOC组成与水平的相关数据。本次研究的加利福尼亚州图莱里县是一个以农业为主的乡村县，频繁受山火烟雾影响。山火会因燃烧与光化学反应产生多种有害污染物，这些污染物可渗入室内并推高VOC浓度。本数据集提供了未受山火影响的室内外VOC组成与水平信息，可作为基准数据集，用于与受山火或野地城市交界（Wildland Urban Interface, WUI）活动影响的空气质量数据进行对比。此外，数据集还提供了室内外VOC的来源信息，例如与农业、清洁烹饪活动相关的来源，可用于后续各类研究。本数据对消费者、制造商、研究者、政策制定者、教育工作者及公众等广泛利益相关方均具有应用价值。**详见"ULRI_US_NOTE"文件**，以了解数据字典详情。
**数据门户** 本数据门户提供交互式数据查看与筛选功能，用户可通过选择感兴趣的参数实现数据浏览，并按需下载数据。
**参考文献**
1. 美国环境保护署. 《环境空气中有毒有机化合物测定方法汇编（第二版）：方法TO-17：采用吸附管主动采样法测定环境空气中的挥发性有机化合物》, 1999.
2. 美国环境保护署. 《环境空气中有毒有机化合物测定方法汇编（第二版）：方法TO-1：采用Tenax®吸附与气相色谱/质谱联用法测定环境空气中的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）》, 1999.
3. 美国环境保护署. 《环境空气中有毒有机化合物测定方法汇编（第二版）：方法TO-11A：采用吸附管采样结合高效液相色谱法测定环境空气中的甲醛》, 1999.
4. Chemical Insights Research Institute. 《最终报告：山火与野地城市交界活动对住宅室内空气质量与健康的影响》; 报告; UL Research Institutes, 2025. https://doi.org/10.60752/102376.28515788.v1.
5. Chemical Insights Research Institute. 《预试验研究：山火与野地城市交界活动对住宅室内空气质量与健康的影响》; UL Research Institutes, 2023. https://chemicalinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chemical-Insights_Indoor-Air-Quality_Report-330_final.pdf (访问时间：2025-04-24).