The Effect of Wooden Building Materials on the Indoor Air Quality of Houses

Abstract

This work focuses on researching wood as a low-emitting building material. Many studies showed that by regulating the emission of adverse chemicals from pressed wood products, they could be recycled as low-emitting materials. The presented case study, shows the measurements of the indoor air quality in a passive, low-energy, wooden, light frame house. Concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and formaldehyde were measured and compared with data from other case studies made in this subject and with the current Hungarian and international regulations of adverse chemicals. The main VOC materials which concentrations were significant in all measurements were terpenes (limonene, alpha-pinene, 3-carene), aliphatic-hydrocarbons and aldehydes (acetic acid, 2-Methoxy-1-ethylmethyl acetate). The comparison showed that the concentrations of benzene, toluene, naphthalene, formaldehyde, and styrene were not deviant from the average values measured by other case studies. The observations showed that the main influencing factors of indoor air quality were the changes in indoor temperature, relative humidity, air exchange rate, and human activities. The conclusion is that the wooden materials applied in the house are low-emitting materials and do not pose a health risk for people.