Volatile Organic Compounds in New Automobiles: Screening Assessment

Four new vehicles were tested to assess the nature (constituents and concentrations) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with new vehicle interiors. The total VOC (TVOC) concentration within the interior of one vehicle (minivan) was 7,500 µg/m3 on the first day of sampling (second day after purchase), approximately two orders of magnitude higher than the outdoor TVOC concentration. The TVOC concentration in the minivan was observed to decay significantly with time, with an approximate 90% reduction in concentration after three weeks of testing. The other three vehicles had TVOC concentrations that ranged from 300 to 600 µg/m3 on the first day of testing. Over sixty chemicals were identified inside the interiors of the four vehicles. Compounds identified in all four vehicles and their GC/MS area percent ranges were toluene (2.2-12.6%), ethylbenzene (0.5-2.2%), xylene (2.4-10.7%), and undecane (0.8-7.5%).