Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
   Chemical compounds that evaporate at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.

   VOC have been discovered to cause or contribute to extreme sickness and diseases. Within an indoor environment, VOC are created by the decaying of molds, tobacco smoke, building products, furnishings, cleaning materials, paints, solvents, and office supplies.

   The maladies of VOC emissions include eye, nose, and throat irritations, dizziness, and headaches. While VOC are capable of severely debilitating the immune system, as well as causing cancer and death, many are undetectable by the human sensory system. They do however often emit an odor during off-gassing.

   There has been a study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that found indoor levels of VOC up to ten times higher than those outdoors, even in areas with significant outdoor air pollution sources, including petrochemical plants. This is likely caused by the myriad of indoor household products which emit VOC such as scent sprays, carpet cleaners, oven cleaners, pesticides, paints, lacquers (and their thinners), paint strippers, dry cleaning fluids, building materials, correction fluid, carbon-less copy paper, glues, adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.

   A highly dangerous indoor VOC is formaldehyde. Used until the early 1980’s, a source of formaldehyde in construction was urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). Many formaldehyde-based resins can still be found in finishes, plywood, paneling, fiberboard, particleboard, furniture, cabinets, permanent press fabric, draperies, and mattress ticking.

   According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), symptoms and diseases due to VOC exposure include eye and upper respiratory irritation, rhinitis, nasal congestion, rashes, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and cancer.

Specific health risks due to indoor exposure to VOC include:

• Irritation to the respiratory tract caused by airborne formaldehyde. Depending on the level and length of exposure, symptoms can range from tingling in the eyes, nose, and throat to tightness in the chest and wheezing. It is possible that an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population may have hyperactive airways, making them more susceptible to the effects of formaldehyde.
• Household pesticides that are technically classified as semi-volatile organic compounds, especially impregnated strips, foggers, and bombs. Exposure may come from the inhalation of vapors or small particles that the pesticides have adhered to.

Those most at risk to VOC are:

• Children under 13 years old
• The elderly over 65 years old
• Pre or post operative patients

   Anyone continually exposed to a contaminated environment, such as newly renovated or constructed homes, may develop Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). This compromises their immune system to such a point that an attack may be triggered by the smallest amount of petrochemical based products including perfumes, household detergents, and newspaper ink.