Indoor Air Quality — ISO 16000 / VOC, Formaldehyde, CO2

What Is Air Quality?

Indoor air quality measurement determines the pollutant content and comfort parameters of air breathed in enclosed spaces. The ISO 16000 series defines sampling and analysis methods; volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, radon and microbiological parameters can be measured.

Purpose of Air Quality

The purpose is to identify the source of occupant complaints, assess ventilation adequacy, and measure the impact of emissions from building materials and furniture.

Which Products Is Air Quality Applied To?

Office and school buildings
Newly built or renovated buildings
Hospitals and healthcare facilities
Shopping centres
Residences

In Which Sectors Is Air Quality Used?

EnvironmentPublic SectorChemistryConstructionFurniturePublic Sector

Standards Related to Air Quality

TS EN ISO 16000-1 (indoor air — sampling strategy)
TS EN ISO 16000-3 (formaldehyde and other carbonyl compounds)
TS EN ISO 16000-6 (VOCs — Tenax sorbent sampling and TD-GC-MS)
TS EN ISO 16000-9/-10/-11 (emissions from building products — test chamber)
TS EN 16798-1 (indoor environmental input parameters for buildings)

Air Quality Conditions

Measurement timing: At a time representing actual use conditions; ventilation status is recorded
Pre-conditioning: A closed-building period before measurement is applied per the standard
Sampling height: In the breathing zone, at the height defined in the standard
Comfort parameters: Temperature, relative humidity and air velocity are measured simultaneously

Equipment for Air Quality

Tenax sorbent tubes and sampling pumps
GC-MS with thermal desorption unit
DNPH cartridges and HPLC (formaldehyde)
CO2 and particulate matter meters
Comfort parameter measurement probe

Sample Requirements for Air Quality

Sampling point, height and time must be recorded
Ventilation status and occupant count must be provided
An outdoor reference specimen must be taken
If there is a complaint, its time and nature must be stated

Duration of Air Quality

Field sampling takes a few hours. Laboratory analysis of sorbent tubes takes a few working days; duration extends for broad VOC screens.

Air Quality Procedure

1The measurement purpose and parameter list are determined.
2Measurement points and timing are planned.
3The pre-conditioning required by the standard is applied.
4Specimens are taken with sorbent tubes and direct-reading instruments.
5An outdoor reference measurement is performed.
6Analysis is performed in the laboratory and results are assessed.

Air Quality Acceptance Criteria

There is no single binding EU limit-value set for indoor air quality; assessment is made via WHO indoor air quality guideline values, national regulations and the category values in EN 16798-1. For building material emissions, classes from national labelling schemes are used.

Evaluation of Results

An indoor result cannot be interpreted without an outdoor reference: high particulate matter in a building near traffic may not have an indoor source. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant in itself but an indicator of ventilation adequacy; high CO2 points to other pollutants possibly having accumulated too.

Air Quality Report

Building, space and measurement point identification
Ventilation status and occupant count
Comfort parameters
Result and detection limit for each pollutant
Outdoor reference results
Guideline values compared against

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

2010/31/EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (related to ventilation)
(EU) 305/2011 Construction Products Regulation (release of dangerous substances)

Environmental Analysis — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Air Quality test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Environmental analysis determines the presence and concentration of pollutants in water, soil, waste, air and flue gas samples. The output of this family is usually part of a permit, a declaration or an inspection file; the result has direct legal consequences.

In this family SAMPLING is half the result, and this is the feature that most sets the field apart. A sample taken at the wrong time, in the wrong container, under the wrong preservation or from the wrong point gives an invalid result no matter how well it is analysed in the laboratory. In waste water a grab sample and a composite sample give different information; in soil, surface and depth produce different results. Sampling therefore has its own standards and its own accreditation scope.

On the water side, physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, COD, BOD, suspended solids), ions, heavy metals, organic pollutants and microbiological parameters are measured. Drinking water and waste water carry different parameter sets and different limits; the same laboratory method leads to a different decision under the two regimes.

In soil and waste, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, PAH and PCB compounds and LEACHING BEHAVIOUR are determined. The leaching test carries a logic peculiar to this field: it is not the total amount of a pollutant in soil but the fraction that can pass into water that determines the environmental risk. Waste classification and the disposal decision rest largely on this test.

On the emissions side, dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxygen, moisture and total organic carbon are monitored in flue gas. Measurement is made on site under operating conditions and must represent the plant's actual operating regime; a measurement taken at low load does not show the emissions at full capacity.

Continuous measurement systems are a separate body of work. In large plants emissions are monitored continuously and the accuracy of these systems is verified periodically by comparison with independent measurements; the quality assurance framework governs this.

Noise and vibration measurements complete the environmental impact side of the field: environmental noise mapping, workplace noise exposure and vibration exposure measurements produce evidence for both environmental and occupational health legislation.

Method groups in this field

Sampling
Separate sampling standards for water, waste water, soil, waste, flue gas and ambient air; grab, composite and continuous sampling techniques.
Water physico-chemical
pH, conductivity, turbidity, colour, suspended solids, COD, BOD, TOC, alkalinity, nitrogen and phosphorus species.
Elemental analysis
Determination of heavy metals and trace elements in water, soil and waste by ICP-OES and ICP-MS.
Organic pollutants
Volatile organic compounds, PAH, PCB and organochlorine pesticides by GC-MS; hydrocarbon oil index.
Flue gas
Measurement of dust, SO2, NOx, CO, O2, moisture and total gaseous organic carbon; quality assurance of automated measuring systems.
Leaching and waste characterisation
Leaching tests and waste classification parameters; the basis for the disposal decision.

Commonly confused in this field

An analytical result cannot be used on its own without the sampling record; the time, point, conditions and chain of custody are part of the report.
Total content and leachable amount give different information; in waste classification, leaching behaviour is what counts.
Emission measurement must be made under representative operating conditions of the plant; a result taken at partial load is misleading.
Drinking water and waste water limits are defined in different legislation; the same parameter carries a different threshold under the two regimes.
A sample from a single point does not represent the whole area; assessment of a contaminated site requires a grid-based sampling plan.

Which decisions these results support

Compliance with environmental permits and discharge limits
Quality assurance of continuous emission measurement systems
Contaminated site assessment and the remediation decision
Waste classification and selection of the disposal method
Workplace exposure measurements and occupational health obligations

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Air Quality

The new building smells — what should we measure?

The typical source in new construction and furniture is volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde. Measuring total and individual VOCs under ISO 16000-6 and formaldehyde under ISO 16000-3 is the right starting point.

Which analysis is needed for a mould problem?

If mould is visible, the priority is fixing the source and moisture problem. Airborne mould spore measurement can be supportive, but interpreting the results requires an outdoor reference and seasonal assessment.