Objectives: The objective of the study was
to examine the sensory and irritative effects
caused by emissions of volatile organic compounds
(VOC) from pine wood and oriented
strand boards (OSB) using a controlled human
exposure trial.
Methods: 15 volunteers were investigated
for effects caused by pine wood and 24 volunteers
for effects caused by OSB. Each subject
was exposed in a 48 m³ test chamber
under various exposure conditions 5 times,
each for a period of 2 h. The air exchange
rate was 1/h. The volunteers exercised on
a cycle ergometer at 50 W throughout the
entire experiment. Temperature, relative humidity,
CO2 and VOC concentrations were
measured continuously. Sensory effects and
irritation of eyes, nose and throat, lung function
(FVC, FEV1), exhaled nitrogen oxide
(NO) concentration, eye blinking frequency,
and smell evaluation were recorded before,
during and after exposure. Standardized
visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to
record the volunteer’s subjective physical
state. Psychometric questionnaires were used
[Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar (FPI),
Fragebogen zur Lebenszufriedenheit (FLZ)]
to exclude influence of personality traits on
the subjective VAS ratings. Odour perception
was studied by the “semantic differential
(SD)” questionnaire.
Results: No evidence for adverse effects on
eye, nose, throat, upper airway irritation or
lung function was found after 2-h exposure
to VOC levels of up to 13,000 μg/m³. In addition,
eye blinking frequency as a parameter
for mucosal irritation was not affected during
or after exposure. The only detectable effect
caused by exposure to pine wood and OSB
emissions was a significant perception of
odour. However, using SD, the odour of both
pine wood and OSB was rated as being more
“pleasant” than “unpleasant”.
Conclusions: The results of our study showed
that exposure to rather high VOC concentrations
(9 000–13 000 μg/m³) released from pine
wood or OSB does not elicit sensory irritation
or pulmonary effects in healthy humans. On
the basis of our study, adverse health effects
on eyes and airways are not to be expected
under ordinary indoor air conditions and
given appropriate wood and OSB installation.
