Study to characterize VOC concentrations and emissions in new manufactured and site-built houses
Indoor sources of VOCs are a determinant of air quality in houses. Many materials used to construct and finish the interiors of new houses emit formaldehyde and other VOCs. Air contamination resulting from these emissions potentially can cause health effects and discomfort among occupants. Ventilation is the other main determinant of air quality in houses. Ventilation serves as the primary mechanism for the removal of gaseous contaminants generated indoors. The trend in new house construction is to make house envelopes tighter with respect to air leakage to improve energy performance. Consequently, ventilation rates in new houses without some form of supplemental ventilation can be low with a potential for degraded air quality.

There was a general lack of contemporary data on concentrations of VOCs in new houses being constructed in the U.S. It also was suspected that changes in the products and materials used in new house construction over the last decade have impacted VOC concentrations. Thus, in 1997 and 1998 the IED in collaboration with the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) conducted a study to characterize the concentrations and emissions of VOCs in selected new manufactured and site-built houses (Hodgson et al., 2000). The primary objectives were to compare these two housing types and to identify sources of VOCs of concern.

Four new manufactured houses in one project and 7 new site-built houses in three projects were selected for study. The houses were located in eastern and southeastern states in mixed-humid and hot-humid climates. They were finished and operational, but unoccupied. The manufactured houses were decorated as sales models. The houses are described in Table 6 and Table 7.