Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are numerous, varied, and ubiquitous, emanating mostly from industrial plants, although the natural world also emits a measure of naturally occurring chemical compounds. The risks associated with industrial VOCs are complicated by the fact that hazardous concentrations are usually very low and the health issues they can cause can be cumulative and slow to develop.
There are multiple definitions of VOCs utilized by governmental agencies, researchers, industries, and educators. For example, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines VOC to mean any compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates, and ammonium carbonate, which participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions.
The European Union describes a VOC as any organic compound having an initial boiling point less than or equal to 250°C measured at a standard atmospheric pressure of 101.3 kPa and which can do damage to visual or audible senses. For our purposes here, a VOC is characterized as a compound of carbon having a boiling point less than or equal to n-dodecane (C12H26), 216.2°C.
The Need to Meet New Challenges
The detection and analysis of industrial VOCs demands continuous innovation to assist organizations in complying with tightening legislation and to mitigate the financial implications of VOC losses from industrial processes.
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