How are tests conducted and what parameters are measured in the laboratory?
The testing practice uses a ten-day conditioning period followed by a 4-day test period at defined conditions. This 14-day exposure period provides emission data characteristic of a product appropriate for assessing the product’s potential indoor air quality impacts. The test measures chamber concentrations of individual VOCs appearing on California lists of chemical substances that have potential health effects due to long-term exposures. Abundant compounds also are identified and measured. Only those compounds that can be analyzed by the prescribed widely used VOC EPA and ASTM methods are included. Individual VOCs are analyzed using multi-point calibration curves prepared with pure compounds. Laboratories must operate under an audited quality system.
