Investigation of indoor air quality in offices and residential homes in an urban area of Poland

The quality of air in various types of rooms is an extremely important issue, because contaminants occurring there, even at low concentrations, can cause health problems, especially for those living or working in these locations. The aim of this study was to compare indoor air quality (IAQ) in offices, flats and a residential building in Upper Silesia. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were self-concentrated, thermally desorbed (TD) and then analysed using gas chromatography (GC). The mean concentrations of the 16 determined VOCs ranged from 18 to 56 μg/m³. The average concentration of carcinogenic benzene was about 1 μg/m³ in offices and flats, while in the residential building it was up to 3.6 μg/m³. In residential building, increased concentrations of m, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene and styrene have also been observed. Toluene predominated in all studied rooms. High and very high indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratios were found. Indoor VOC sources produce more contaminants than are obtained from the infiltration of outdoor air.