The association between clustering based on composition of volatile organic compound in indoor air and building-related symptoms

Kohki Takaguchi; Hiroko Nakaoka; Kayo Tsumura; Akifumi Eguchi; Keiichi Shimatani; Yoshitake Nakayama; Takafumi Matsushita; Takahiro Ishizaka; Ayato Kawashima; Chisato Mori; Norimichi Suzuki

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170197

The association between clustering based on composition of volatile organic compound in indoor air and building-related symptoms

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Mar 20:917:170197. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170197. Epub 2024 Jan 20.

Affiliations

¹ Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan. Electronic address: k.takaguchi@chiba-u.jp.
² Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
³ Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7, Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566, Japan.
⁴ Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan; Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-0856, Japan.

PMID: 38253092
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170197

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been suspected to cause building-related symptoms (BRSs). Although some studies investigated the association between BRSs and VOCs in indoor air, those results were inconsistent. This study investigated the contamination status of VOCs in the indoor air of 154 houses in Japan. Additionally, these samples were grouped by hierarchical clustering analysis based on the VOC composition, and the relationship between a VOC cluster and the BRSs was investigated. The median concentration of the sum of VOCs (ΣVOCs) was 140 μg m^-3 (range: 18-3500 μg m^-3). The levels of acetaldehyde in four samples and p-dichlorobenzene in one sample exceeded the guideline value. As a result of the hierarchical clustering analysis, the samples in this study were divided into six characteristic clusters based on the VOC composition. The ΣVOCs in cluster 1 were significantly lower than those in other clusters. In cluster 2, acyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons were dominant. Cluster 3 had a relatively high proportion of limonene. In cluster 4, the concentrations and composition ratios of α-pinene were higher than those of other clusters. In cluster 5, p-dichlorobenzene accounted for 42 %-72 % of the total VOCs. Cluster 6 had a relatively high proportion of decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane. This clustering likely depended on the construction of houses and lifestyles. As a result of logistic regression analysis, cluster 5 was associated with the cough symptoms of the BRSs. The results of the present study suggest that investigating the association between VOCs and BRSs is necessary to consider not only total concentrations such as TVOC and ΣVOCs but also VOC composition.

Keywords: Building-related symptoms; Indoor air; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds.