Construction products

Rising awareness of the potential health risks associated with poor indoor air quality has led to increasing calls for the regulation and labelling of products and materials used indoors.

What regulations affect construction products?

• Those developed by various European national agencies – such as the AgBB scheme and the ‘Ü’ mark (Germany), the Paint Varnish Directive (UK), and the ‘Émissions dans l’air intérieur’ regulation (France). Some or all of these will likely be superseded by the CPR, in due course
• ‘Chinese REACH’, which has similar requirements to its European equivalent.
• A range of US-led initiatives, including the Clean Air Act, LEED and the Green Label program.

Each of these regulations typically demands product testing in accordance with standard methods.

Sampling approaches used in standard methods

The various standard methods developed to assess emissions from construction materials are all compatible with TD, and fall into two broad categories:

• 'Small' chambers (typically ~1 m³): These enclose a large section of the product, and are usually performed in accordance with ISO 16000-9, ASTM D5116, California Specification 01350 or EN 16516.
• Microchambers (44 cm³ or 114 cm³): A piece of the product is placed in the microchamber, with sampling carried out in accordance with methods such as ASTM D7706, ISO 12219-3 or ISO 16000-25.

In all cases, sampled air is focused using a multi-sorbent packed focusing trap, which is then analysed by thermal desorption–gas chromatography (ISO 16000-6).