FIELD INVESTIGATION ON INDOOR CHEMICAL POLLUTION IN TEMPORARY HOUSES IN SENDAI CITY

The Great East Japan Earthquake had occurred on March 11th in 2011. There were serious damages in Tohoku and Kanto district, especially seaside cities of the Pacific Ocean in Tohoku district by tsunami. Many people in these areas had lost their houses and more than fifty thousand temporary houses were built in three prefectures of the Tohoku district. Several problems, such as indoor thermal environment and indoor air quality as well as sound environment problems might be occurred in temporary houses. This study aimed to investigate the indoor air quality, especially indoor volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in the temporary residential houses. In summer in 2011 and winter in 2012, measurements have been conducted in the temporary houses in Sendai and measuring results were compared with guideline value in Japan. As a result, total VOC (TVOC) concentrations in the most houses were over tentative guideline value in Japan, 400 μg/m.