United States National Risk Management

Environmental Protection Research Laboratory

Agency Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

Research and Development EPA/600/SR-95/163 December 1995

E AP

Interlaboratory Study of a Test

Method for Measuring Total

Volatile Organic Compound

Content of Consumer Products

The full report describes results of

an interlaboratory study to estimate repeatability (precision of analyses performed by a single laboratory) and reproducibility (precision analyses performed 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 formation 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, Research 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 identified as a "major" source and will be subject to future regulations. Since EPA has

Project Summary

E. E. Rickman, Jr., G. B. Howe, and R. K. M. Jayanty

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 consumer 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 suitable for analyzing the volatile content of a

wide variety of consumer products.
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EPA/600/SR-95/163

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

E. 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