United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-95/163
December 1995
EPA Project Summary
Interlaboratory Study of a Test
Method for Measuring Total
Volatile Organic Compound
Content of Consumer Products
E. E. Rickman, Jr., G. B. Howe, and R. K. M. Jayanty
The full report describes results of
an interlaboratory study to estimate re-
peatability (precision of analyses per-
formed by a single laboratory) and re-
producibility (precision analyses per-
formed by different laboratories) of a
consumer products volatile organic
compound (VOC) measurement method
based on EPA Method 24 (for VOCs in
surface coatings). (NOTE: Consumer
products are significant sources of
VOCs, which are precursors to the for-
mation of ozone in photochemical
smog.)
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's National Risk Management
Research Laboratory's Air Pollution
Prevention and Control Division, Re-
search Triangle Park, NC, to announce
key findings of the research project
that is fully documented in a separate
report of the same title (see Project
Report ordering information at back).
Overview
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
require the reduction of VOC emissions in
consumer products, which have been iden-
tified as a "major" source and will be sub-
ject to future regulations. Since EPA has
no established method for determining
VOC content in consumer products, this
study focused on achieving that goal. EPA
Method 24 has been modified so that it is
viable for measurement of VOC in con-
sumer products. The interlaboratory study
examines the precision of the modified
EPA Method 24, used for analysis of VOC
content in consumer products, with that of
EPA Method 24, used for determining VOC
content in paints and coatings. As a result
of the study, further modifications were
made. As anticipated, dense foams were
difficult to analyze; therefore, this category
of consumer products was not included in
the interlaboratory study.
The mean method repeatability was
found to be 2.7 weight percent VOC, and
the mean method reproducibility was found
to be 4.8 weight percent VOC. Method
repeatability ranged from 0.2 to 4.4 weight
percent VOC, and reproducibility ranged
from 0.6 to 11.9 weight percent VOC. The
precision of the consumer products VOC
method for consumer product samples is
similar to that of EPA Method 24 applied
to surface coatings. Results show that the
consumer products VOC method is suit-
able for analyzing the volatile content of a
wide variety of consumer products.
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£. E. Rickman, Jr., G. B. Howe, and R. K. M. Jayanty are with Research Triangle
Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
J. Kaye Whitfield is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Interlaboratory Study of a Test Method for Measuring
Total Volatile Organic Compound Content of Consumer Products," (Order No.
PB96-121652; Cost: $27.00, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
National Risk Management Research Laboratory (G-72)
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
EPA/600/SR-95/163
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