Interpretation and Limitations of the Concept “Total Volatile Organic Compounds” (TVOC) as an Indicator of Human Responses to Exposures of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in Indoor Air

The TVOC summation of masses of non-reactive substances has often been used as a practical way of reporting environmental measurements of volatile organic compounds. This total concentration, moreover, is often used as an indication of the potential of a multiomponent atmospheric pollution with substances of low chemical reactivity to cause chemically induced sensory irritation. This use of the TVOC indicator has never been standardized. Various authors have used different measuring techniques and the results have been used to predict certain types of health effect. This article discusses the toxicological background for the TVOC concept in relation to nonspecific sensory irritation and identifies some theoretical limitations in its use within this context. The TVOC indicator of nonspecific sensory irritations should be based only on a limited range of compounds and should be interpreted as a lower limit of the possible intensity of sensory irritation. Based on the discussions, some precautions are recommended with respect to measurements of TVOC and interpretation of the measurements.