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Emission testing of products is currently a rapidly increasing field of measurement activity. Labelling procedures for construction products are based on such emission test chamber measurements and hence measurement performance should be verified. A suited procedure for this purpose is the testing of one unique homogenous material in different laboratories within a Round Robin Test (RRT). Therefore, it is useful to have a reference material which can be used within inter-laboratory studies or as part of the quality management system to ensure comparable results. Several approaches on the development of reproducibly emitting materials have been published. These have in common only to emit a single VOC – toluene. Two further research studies carried out by BAM aimed to develop reference material for emissions testing containing one or more VOC in a single material. The first approach was a doped lacquer with Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC/SVOC) and the second was Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or a Squalane/Paraffin mixture. Results received with the lacquer based material were presented in more detail.
Design of Reference Materials for Proficiency Tests for Measurements in Emission Test Chambers
(2017)
Emission testing of products is currently a rapidly increasing field of measurement activity. Labelling procedures for construction products are based on such emission test chamber measurements and hence measurement performance should be verified. A suited procedure for this purpose is the testing of one unique homogenous material in different laboratories within a Round Robin Test (RRT). Therefore, it is useful to have a reference material which can be used within inter-laboratory studies or as part of the quality management system to ensure comparable results.
Any commercially available product on the market can be used as reference material, provided it is thoroughly characterised. However, these materials often emit only a few and material specific VOCs and appropriate homogeneity is not given. Therefore, alternative materials should be found.
Several approaches on the development of reproducibly emitting materials have been published. These have in common only to emit a single VOC – toluene. Two further research studies carried out by BAM aimed to develop reference material for emissions testing containing one or more VOC in a single material. The first approach was a doped lacquer with Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC/SVOC) and the second was Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or a Squalane/Paraffin mixture. Currently, the second approach is not at a level that it could be tested within a RRT.
Important requirements for the production of a reference material were repeatability (homogeneity), reproducibility, long-term stability in terms of compound release and transport stability. The emission rates should be high enough to obtain well measurable chamber air concentrations at standardised test conditions.
The lacquer samples were prepared by weighing portions of a water-based lacquer to which defined amounts of the pure analytes were added. Defined amounts of the lacquer mixture were filled into Petri dishes and cured under standard conditions (23 °C and 50% relative humidity). Reproducible emissions were obtained when the storage time of the cured material was not longer than four weeks. The concentrations were analyzed 7 days after loading of the material into the chamber.
Two RRT were conducted by use of the lacquer system. Here, the laboratories had to identify and also to quantify the compounds. The relative standard deviations obtained were typical for such a kind of test. More than 50 participants reported results.
Since some volatile organic compounds (VOC) are dangerous to human health whilst others cause harm to the environment by influencing the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, the overall aim of the KEY-VOCs project is to improve the measurement infrastructure for Key Volatile Organic Compounds in indoor and outdoor air. This is done by providing traceable and comparable reference gas standards and by validating new measurement systems in support to the air monitoring networks.
The labelling of construction products or building materials as “low-emitting” is based on measurements using third-party emission test chambers. Unfortunately there is no method to validate the performance of such test chamber measurements. This might give a Variation of results when testing one material at different laboratories. Therefore it is necessary to hold round robin tests as part of the quality management System to ensure comparable results.
A research project financed by the Federal Environmental Agency focused on the development of an external quality management System for the detection of relevant Chemical compounds from products and in ambient air. The project was structured in four phases (Horn et al., 2009 and 2011; Wilke et al., 2009a) This paper shows results of the fourth phase of the project, which was an inter-laboratory study for VOC-emission testing by means of emission test chambers.
Quality and trueness of results received from measurements are very important for all involved parties, producers and consumers as well; for instance, if the results were used for acceptance of a product within a labeling procedure. Based on an inter-laboratory study with many German, European and US-American laboratories an extemal quality assurance System for the analysis of VOC emitting from products or the measurement in indoor air should be implemented (financed by the German Federal Environmental Agency).
A focus was set on the emission test chamber experiments and the connected analytical procedure. VOC have a dominating influence when applying the German AgBB scheme for health evaluation of building products.
Therefore it is necessary to ensure that the results between the testing laboratories are comparable. The successful participation to such round robin tests is offen essential for the acceptance of results given by an analytical laboratory.
Emission testing of products is currently a rapidly increasing field of measurement activity. Labelling procedures for construction products are based on such emission test chamber measurements and hence measurement performance should be verified. A suited procedure for this purpose is the testing of one unique homogenous material in different laboratories within a Round Robin Test (RRT). Therefore, it is useful to have a reference material which can be used within inter-laboratory studies or as part of the quality management system to ensure comparable results. Several approaches on the development of reproducibly emitting materials have been published. These have in common only to emit a single VOC – toluene. Two further research studies carried out by BAM aimed to develop reference material for emissions testing containing one or more VOC in a single material. The first approach was a doped lacquer with Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC/SVOC) and the second was Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or a Squalane/Paraffin mixture. Results received with the lacquer based material were presented in more detail.
Quality Improvement of VOC chamber emission tests observed for 10 years with round robin tests
(2018)
In Europe, the Construction Products Regulation (CPR, 2011/305/EU) sets basic requirements (BR) on how construction works must be designed and built. BR 3 “hygiene, health and the environment” states low emissions of toxic gases, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCVOCs), particles, etc. from building materials. Meanwhile, a worldwide network of professional Commercial and non-commercial laboratories performing emission tests for the evaluation of products for interior use has been established.
Therefore, comparability of test results must be ensured. The participation in Round Robin Tests (RRTRRTs) is a means to prove a laboratory’s proficiency. Since 2006 BAM offers such proficiency test for emission chamber test every two years.
Any commercially available product on the market can be used as reference material, provided it is thoroughly characterised. However, these materials often emit only a few and material specific VOCs and appropriate homogeneity is not given. Therefore, alternative materials should be found. BAM used different materials over the years. Currently, the best suited reference material is a cured lacquer surface which contained several VOCs added to the liquid lacquer system. The round robin tests 2014, 2016 and 2018 were conducted with such a system.
Compounds like Styrene or n-Alkanes like Decane or Tridecane were tested in many of the proficiency test operated by BAM. Up to now the relative standard deviation of these compounds decrease continuously. Starting with values about 30 % in 2008 we reached values for the mentioned compounds 15 to 20 % now. But even for more polar compounds improved results were received.
Over the years the results of a large group of laboratories detected many compounds with much higher accuracy than at the beginning. So, the comparability between results of different laboratories becomes much better.
Since some volatile organic compounds (VOC) are
dangerous to human health whilst others cause harm to the environment by influencing the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, the overall aim of the KEY-VOCs project is to improve the measurement infrastructure for Key Volatile Organic Compounds in indoor and outdoor air. This is done by providing traceable and comparable reference gas standards and by validating new measurement systems in support to the air monitoring networks.