What is Offgassing?
Offgassing is the evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials at normal atmospheric pressure. This means that building materials can release chemicals into the air through evaporation. This evaporation can continue for years after the products are initially installed which means you continue to breathe these chemicals as you work, sleep and relax in your home or office. What Materials Offgas? Materials such as paints, stains, varnishes, carpet, insulation, flooring, kitchen cabinets and countertops, plywood, particleboard, and paint strippers can produce significant offgassing in your home or office. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns about the health effects of poor Indoor Air Quality from the offgassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Can You Give Me an Example? Everyone knows how bad most paints, stains and varnishes smell; your instincts probably tell you the fumes are bad for you. Much of those fumes are from VOCs. But there are VOCs in less obvi
Offgassing or outgassing refers to the release of chemicals from various substances under normal conditions of temperature and pressure. Offgassing can take a variety of forms, and is an issue of concern for some people, since some of the chemicals released during the offgassing process are potentially harmful. A number of studies have been conducted on offgassing of various chemicals in an assortment of environments with the goal of determining the risk of offgassing to human health. You can probably think of a few examples of outgassing. For example, when an area is painted, varnished, or stained, a strange scent often lingers for a few days. This is offgassing, and the strange scent is caused by volatile organic compounds, some of which are potentially hazardous. Many plastics also offgas. Inhaling these chemicals or absorbing them through the skin and mucus membranes can be very harmful. Offgassing is a special issue of concern when it takes place in an enclosed environment. For ex
Offgassing is the evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials at normal atmospheric pressure. This means that building materials can release chemicals into the air through evaporation. This evaporation can continue for years after the products are initially installed which means you continue to breathe these chemicals as you work, sleep and relax in your home or office. Materials such as paints, stains, varnishes, carpet, insulation, flooring, kitchen cabinets and countertops, plywood, particleboard, and paint strippers can produce significant offgassing in your home or office. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns about the health effects of poor Indoor Air Quality from the offgassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Everyone knows how bad most paints stains and varnishes smell; your instincts probably tell you the fumes are bad for you. Much of those fumes are from VOCs. But there are VOCs in less obvious products. For example, that film that accumulate
