When we sense the smell of food, perfume, or sewage, we actually feel the smell of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs is a very broad term that is used to describe all kinds of carbon-based gases and solvents with boiling points from about 25C to 250C. VOC in residential and office buildings comes mostly from 4 major sources:
- Off-gassing of new construction materials: drywalls, carpets, paint, thinners, laminate, furniture, adhesives, and other
- Household chemicals: cleaning supplies, “air fresheners”, perfume, inks, detergents, and other
- Food and beverages
- Mold growth
LCS Laboratory offers sampling kits for the measurement of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) in the air of your home. “Total” refers to the fact that we do not differentiate what solvents are causing the smell, instead, we report the sum (or total) of all solvents present.
Sampling Kit: The kit allows very precise and sensitive detection of TVOCs in residential air. It includes several VOC dosimeters, a sampling instruction, and prepaid laboratory analysis. You will need to open the dosimeters and place them in different rooms for 48 hours. Once the sampling is complete, please return dosimeters to our lab for analysis.
How Much VOC is Too Much? Several publications and guidelines are available. 
- TVOC is present in a concentration of less than 0.2 mg/m³. The tenants experience no irritation or discomfort; (reference: Mølhave L. 1991. Volatile organic compounds, indoor air quality, and health. Indoor Air 1(4):357–-376.)
- TVOC is detected at concentration of 0.2-0.3 mg/m³. This is the typical concentration of VOC that can be found in hospital and laboratory buildings. (Reference: McLeod V. 2011. Breathing easy: keeping tabs on indoor air quality. ALN Magazine May/June 2011. http://www.alnmag.com/print/5786)
- The concentration of TVOC in new buildings should not exceed 0.5 mg/m³. The LEED recommended level is <500 μg/m3. (reference: McLeod V. 2011. Breathing easy: keeping tabs on indoor air quality. ALN Magazine May/June 2011. http://www.alnmag.com/print/5786; LEED 2010. Building Design & Construction. LEED Rating System Draft, November 2010.)
- If your results for TVOC come above 0.5 mg/m³, you should find and eliminate a possible source of chemical contamination.
How to read your lab results, and what do they mean?
- <0.05 mg/m³. TVOC concentration is less than 0.05 mg/m³, which is well within the comfort level
- 0.05-0.30 mg/m³. TVOC are present but likely do not cause any discomfort
- 0.3-0.5 mg/m³. The smell might be detectable. TVOC level is acceptable and is typical for newly build buildings
- >0.5 mg/m³. TVOC concentration is above 0.5 mg/m³. The smell can become irritating. The source should be found and eliminated.
The typical cost of testing is $200-$300. To order your kit or to request a quote please contact us with your shipping address and the number of rooms that you need to test. Thank you for your interest and stay safe.
