ABSTRACT
Indoor air quality (IAQ) deterioration can be due to the occurrence of a number of chemicals and particulate matter. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are probably the most important categories of chemicals found indoors among which, the most common are benzene, toluene, xylenes (BTX), terpenes (e.g. α-pinene and limonene); and formaldehyde and acetaldehyde (ECA, 1995). The number of VOCs is quite high and their toxicity varies significantly. The reasons for the broad occurrence of those chemicals are their volatile character and the fact that they have been associated with a large number of products like paints, adhesives, glues, varnishes, waxes, solvents, detergents or cleaning products, carpets and personal care products. It has been also proven that they are emitted from (upholstered) furnishings as desks, shelves and chairs as well as by the use of electronic devices like photocopiers or printers, etc. VOCs were found to be related to building dampness (Yu et al., 2006, Katsoyiannis et al., 2008, Oliveira Fernandes et al., 2008). According to Kotzias D. et al. (2005), benzene and formaldehyde were classified in the Group 1 (high priority chemicals), acetaldehyde, toluene and xylenes, constituted the Group 2 (second priority chemicals) and, α-pinene and limonene were represented in the Group 3 (chemicals requiring further research with regard to human exposure or dose-response). For many of those chemicals, the impact on human health is almost totally unknown and difficult to predict because of the lack of toxi-
2 MATERIAL AND METHODS
The scientific literature research used in this review has covered studies published from 1993 to 2011 in PubMed and Scopus and was focused on at least one of the following compounds in European homes and schools environments: BTX, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, as the most prominent and important carbonyl compounds, and chemicals like trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, naphthalene, α-pinene, limonene as they are emitted in high rates from products that are used widely in homes and/ or because they are reactive and, under certain conditions, can give birth to secondary emissions.
