Abstract
We conducted a survey regarding the number of furniture items and electrical appliances possessed in Japanese residential houses, and the time spent by the residents in each room, categorized according to the activity. The participants were asked the survey questions through internet questionnaires (N = 1035). "Dining," "relaxing," "sleeping," and "hobby & studying" were selected as the activities. The rooms used for "sleeping" were generally used for a single purpose (65%), while the rooms used for "relaxing" were often used for other purposes as well (77%); in particular for "dining" (66%). The items that were often located in the room used for "dining" include table (91%), chairs (89%), cupboard (89%), refrigerator (78%), and ventilation fan (53%), whereas the items that were often located in the room used for "relaxing" include couch (58%), television set (89%), air conditioner (80%), and carpet (68%). What there is often in the rooms used for "sleeping" include bed (49%), wardrobe (68%), and cloth storage case (61%), whereas what there is often in the rooms used for "hobby & studying." include desk (74%), chair (74%), bookshelf (76%), and personal computer (65%). There were some significant differences in the holding ratios among regions for certain kinds of furniture. Combined with the data on the emission of chemical substances from the items, this information enables us to evaluate the exposure attributable to the items in Japan.
