Sensory irritation in mice exposed to emissions from indoor products

Sensory irritation (SI) in mice exposed to chemical emissions from products was investigated using a modification of an ASTM standard protocol Samples of carpet, ceiling tile, wallcovering, resilient flooring, and veneer were tested as typical indoor products. SI during head-only animal exposure was assessed by monitoring changes in respiratory frequency and waveform when test products were continuously ventilated at either 23 or 70°C (73 or J58°F). Animals were subjected to four 1-hour exposures to product emissions, corresponding to 1, 4, 24, and 27 elapsed hours of product exposure. SI was generally not observed when products were tested at 23°C, but could be induced during at least one exposure period from all products except the carpet sample at 70°C. Although the total volatile organic compound emissions from a given product tested at elevated temperature increased between 5- and 30-fold from the emissions at ambient temperature, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis for the individual chemicals showed differences in the relative chemical compositions of the test atmospheres. Therefore, although increasing the temperature to 70°C may increase the total chemical concentration of product emissions, it may not produce a chemical exposure comparable to that at ambient conditions. Since most human exposure to product emissions occurs at ambient conditions, the significance of irritation at elevated temperatures is therefore questionable.