3.1 Introduction
Many organic compounds are found naturally but others have industrial or domestic sources. Some have the potential to adversely affect the health of humans or the environment after exposure to airborne concentrations over extended periods. These include some known human carcinogens, such as benzene.
This study measured the ambient or airborne concentrations of 41 volatile organic compounds, including 1,3-butadiene. The sampling and measurement procedure used in the study was US EPA method TO-14.
The TO-14 compounds represent a wide range of recognised `hazardous air pollutants' (as the US EPA refers to them) plus many of the most significant ozone-depleting substances. This latter group of largely halogenated organics, such as Freon® 11, are known to damage the ozone layer which shields the earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. These ozone-depleting substances are of interest as global pollutants; they have been banned or are being phased out under the internationally agreed treaty, the Montreal Protocol.
Page last updated: 26 February 2011
