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We Provide Emissions Testing to
Determine the Type and Concentration of Chemical Compounds Potentially
Off-Gassed Into the Indoor
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Understanding Emissions Testing
MAS provides both static and dynamic emissions testing services to determine the type and concentrations of chemical compounds potentially off-gassed from finished products and raw materials into the indoor environment.
Static test protocols typically involve a headspace measurement of emissions yielding qualitative results derived from short duration “flash” emissions.
Dynamic test methods are similar but involve placing a sample in an inert chamber and monitoring off-gassed emissions over a set period of time (accounting for indoor
ventilation rates typical of today’s building environments). Advantages of dynamic or chamber test methods are that they allow for predictions of air concentrations in the future by establishing decay curves for the materials tested.
Chamber emission testing was originally developed by EPA to assess the potential off-gassing of hazardous compounds from building and interior finish goods. Since its development, emissions testing has been adopted by a number of municipalities, trade
organizations and regulatory agencies worldwide. Of note: This type of testing is now required
for certain construction and interior finish materials (manufactured and used) in the State of
California1. This type of testing is also necessary to achieve user credits under the USGBC
LEED program promoting Green Building2 and is also required under many International
Standards in Europe and Asia.
The drive behind emission testing is to limit the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
released into indoor environments. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may
have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently
higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. Formaldehyde is one of the best known
VOCs (constantly making news and under increasing state and federal regulation. It is often
associated with glues and resins used in composite/engineered woods and certain finishes
associated with a wide variety of construction materials, furniture and interior finishes.
Outside mandated emission testing, on a much broader
basis, there is a heightened consumer interest and
demand for “green” products as well as concern for
indoor air quality (IAQ) levels in homes and
commercial buildings. Today, the majority of the
emissions testing is conducted as a means of delineating
a product or group of products in the marketplace as “green”.
Within industry trade organizations there are several groups including the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), the Business and Intuitional Furniture Manufacture’s Association (BIFMA) and the Adhesives and Sealant Council (ASC) which have established specific emissions standards for their memberships.
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