VOCs emitted from materials/products affect indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings. To determine the impact of these emissions on IAQ, it is necessary to know their emission rates over time. This practice provides guidelines for using a full-scale environmental chamber for testing large materials and full-scale material systems/assemblies.

While this practice is developed for measuring VOC emissions, the chamber facilities and methods of evaluation presented in this practice are also useful for a variety of purposes including: (1) testing the emissions during the application process (for example, painting), or other related sources; (2) developing scaleup methods (for example, from small chamber results to a full-scale scenario); (3) studying the interaction between sources and sinks, and validating source/sink models which are the basis for IAQ prediction; and (4) testing interactions between source emissions and other compounds in the air (for example, NO_x, ozone, SO_x).

1.1 This practice is intended for determining volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from materials and products (building materials, material systems, furniture, consumer products, etc.) and equipment (printers, photocopiers, air cleaners, etc.) under environmental and product usage conditions that are typical of those found in office and residential buildings.

1.2 This practice is for identifying VOCs emitted and determining their emission rates over a period of time.

1.3 This practice describes the design, construction, performance evaluation, and use of full-scale chambers for VOC emission testing.

1.4 While this practice is limited to the measurement of VOC emissions, many of the general principles and procedures (such as methods for evaluating the general performance of the chamber system) may also be useful for the determination of other chemical emissions (for example, ozone, nitrogen dioxide). Determination of aerosol and particle emissions is beyond the scope of this document.