Abstract
Terpenes such as α-pinene and β-pinene are emitted from wooden building materials. They have been reported to be relatively high concentration in the indoor environment. In this study, concentrations of α-pinene and β-pinene in indoor and outdoor air in 30 houses in Shizuoka, Japan were determined using a passive sampler. The individual exposures of α-pinene and β-pinene were also determined at each houses. The collection amounts of α-pinene and β-pinene by the passive sampler were converted to the air concentrations by using conversion equations that were determined from the results of simultaneous measurements with both passive and active samplers. Individual exposure concentrations of α-pinene in summer were ranged from <0.2 to 260μg/m3, and average and median concentrations were 18 and 2.3 μg/m3, respectively. The individual exposure concentrations of α-pinene were significantly correlated with those in indoor air, especially in living room. Margins of exposure (MOE) calculated from our results were sufficiently greater than an uncertainty factor (100).
