- #1
kyphysics
- 683
- 442
VOC = volatile organic compound
These are gasses that evaporate into the air from common every day products (solids and liquids) around us, from furniture and carpet, all the way to cosmetics and cleaning products - and more. They are everywhere in the environment, but can sometimes build up to unhealthy levels indoors. Exposure to VOCs can lead to various health conditions, including cancer (for example, benzene and formaldehyde are two VOCs considered carcinogenic).
Some advice I've seen is to:
--open windows and increase ventilation (but this lets in other potentially harmful stuff like mold spores, right?)
--use products that off-gas less VOCs (assuming you know for sure the products don't off-gas them)
--use an air purification system that reduces/breaks down VOCs***1
--grow plants that reduce VOCs (they can help reduce VOCs, but some researchers have argued that the effect is too small to be practical***2)
***1 This is what I'm looking for and don't know of any air purifiers that can eliminate or reduce VOCs. Google searching leads me to see that an activated carbon filter can help remove VOCs, as well as something called PCO (photocatalytic oxidation).
However, lots of Googling has yielded minimal actionable results on how to buy an activated carbon filter purifier and/or the effectiveness of PCO technology. As to the latter, I've come across counter-claims/arguments that PCO technology can actually create harmful byproducts, such as ozone and VOCs, such as formaldehyde (the very thing I want to remove!).
2015 science article on PCO tech and byproducts: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150715130835.htm
2024 NASA article on benefits of PCO tech: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Air_Treatment_Systems_Break_Down_Pollutants_Germs
***2
Drexel 2019 news article: https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2019/november/potted-plants-do-not-improve-air-quality
Nature 2019 scientific piece: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-019-0175-9
As a complete NON-science-y person, how can I decipher which research and news articles to believe about VOC elimination/reduction technology when often the sources look super legitimate (professors, NASA, well-known journal, etc.) and yet the findings/recommendations can seem to conflict?
On a personal level, I ask b/c we are dealing with my dad's lung cancer (which has progressed) and wanting to set up a good home environment for him.
These are gasses that evaporate into the air from common every day products (solids and liquids) around us, from furniture and carpet, all the way to cosmetics and cleaning products - and more. They are everywhere in the environment, but can sometimes build up to unhealthy levels indoors. Exposure to VOCs can lead to various health conditions, including cancer (for example, benzene and formaldehyde are two VOCs considered carcinogenic).
Some advice I've seen is to:
--open windows and increase ventilation (but this lets in other potentially harmful stuff like mold spores, right?)
--use products that off-gas less VOCs (assuming you know for sure the products don't off-gas them)
--use an air purification system that reduces/breaks down VOCs***1
--grow plants that reduce VOCs (they can help reduce VOCs, but some researchers have argued that the effect is too small to be practical***2)
***1 This is what I'm looking for and don't know of any air purifiers that can eliminate or reduce VOCs. Google searching leads me to see that an activated carbon filter can help remove VOCs, as well as something called PCO (photocatalytic oxidation).
However, lots of Googling has yielded minimal actionable results on how to buy an activated carbon filter purifier and/or the effectiveness of PCO technology. As to the latter, I've come across counter-claims/arguments that PCO technology can actually create harmful byproducts, such as ozone and VOCs, such as formaldehyde (the very thing I want to remove!).
2015 science article on PCO tech and byproducts: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150715130835.htm
2024 NASA article on benefits of PCO tech: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Air_Treatment_Systems_Break_Down_Pollutants_Germs
***2
Drexel 2019 news article: https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2019/november/potted-plants-do-not-improve-air-quality
Nature 2019 scientific piece: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-019-0175-9
As a complete NON-science-y person, how can I decipher which research and news articles to believe about VOC elimination/reduction technology when often the sources look super legitimate (professors, NASA, well-known journal, etc.) and yet the findings/recommendations can seem to conflict?
On a personal level, I ask b/c we are dealing with my dad's lung cancer (which has progressed) and wanting to set up a good home environment for him.