Guidance

Air quality: UK guidelines for volatile organic compounds in indoor spaces

This review proposes guidelines to improve population health and raise awareness of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in UK homes and offices.

• From: Public Health England
• Published: 13 September 2019

Documents

Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for selected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the UK

Ref: GW-731

PDF, 663 KB, 9 pages

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Details

Poor indoor air quality can cause a variety of adverse health effects. This statement focuses on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and presents indoor air quality guideline values for selected VOCs, to control their levels in the indoor environment.

The guideline values were derived from a scientific literature review that considers:

• current scientific data showing the occurrence of various VOCs in buildings internationally
• toxicological reviews for the individual VOCs with potential for adverse health effects
• health-based guidelines for proposed by other countries and organisations

The review ultimately sets out proposed UK indoor air quality guidelines for selected VOCs.

It is intended to inform discussions on source control, raise awareness of the potential impacts of pollutants at home, and aid in improving the health and wellbeing of the general population.

Published 13 September 2019