Concentrations of volatile organic compounds in the passenger side and the back seat of automobiles

Abstract

The in-vehicle volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations during commutes have previously been measured in only one single interior sampling location, considering a sample collected in the single interior location as representative of overall VOC concentrations within an automobile. The present study evaluated if the potential differences in VOC concentrations occur in the automobiles' interior during idling and commuting under different driving conditions associated with the use of air cleaning devices (ACDs) and interior fan. The experiments were conducted under the low ventilation condition with the windows and the vent closed and the fan off. The difference of VOC concentrations between passenger side and back seat during idling was small. The variability of VOC concentrations with location inside automobiles while commuting was not significant at p<0.05, regardless of the use of ACDs and/or the interior fan, while inter-vehicle variability was significant at p<0.05. In addition, currently available ACDs equipped with activated carbon filters in Korea were ineffective at removing VOCs from the interior of automobiles. The concentrations of the two lightest ones of the target compounds, benzene and toluene, were significantly higher inside two vehicles than in the roadway air at p<0.05, while the in-vehicle and roadway concentrations of the other target compounds did not differ significantly at p<0.05 for both vehicles. The concentrations of all target VOCs, except benzene, were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the interior of older car than of newer car. Median in-vehicle concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, m-xylene, and o-xylene were 38.3, 107, 9.2, 7.8, 16.9, and 10.7 μg/m³, respectively.