Abstract
In this study, we examined a method for measuring the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from wallpapers, by using solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Specifically, a wallpaper sample (7 × 7 cm, 49cm2) is kept inside a 640mL glass chamber, and which is the immersed in a constant temperature bath at 28°C for 30 min, following which the released VOCs are collected using the solid phase microextraction (SPME)technique. The SPME (collected VOCs) are then inserted into the GC inlet and the thermal desorption-GC/MS analysis is performed. The repeatability of analysis method is 23.3% or less in terms of relative standard deviation, and the lower limit of quantification (as the emission amount) is 26.8 μg/m2・h or less. However, this method does not involve a solvent extraction operation. Moreover, the SPME technique can be used repeatedly, and it is possible to make an economical and highly sensitive measurement. In addition, the evaluation performed using this method is similar to that provided in JIS A 1903. The standard solution of the target component is added and vaporized in the glass chamber, and its practicality is determined from the recovery rate. As a result, good repeatability was, suggesting its usefulness as a simple method to measure VOCs emissions.
