甲醛是無色刺激性氣體,行政院環保署將甲醛列管為毒性污染物,並於 2012 年 11 月公布室內空氣品質標準甲醛標準值(一小時值,0.08 ppm),2004年世界衛生組織公佈為致癌和致畸形物質,因此甲醛對人體健康危害備受重視。近年來,國人擁有汽車數量日趨上升,部分車主會於車內空間使用汽車清潔用品來保養汽車,本研究為探討汽車芳香劑及清潔用品對汽車內密閉環境中甲醛濃度曝露之特性。研究選用市面常見的汽車清潔品(液態芳香劑、皮革劑、亮光漆共三種)分別放置於汽車內部進行實驗。採樣時,以甲醛連續監測儀每10分鐘採樣一次,共計日夜間48小時連續監測。本研究實驗結果顯示: (1)監測過程中發現,在汽車內密閉環境中使用液態芳香劑、皮革劑與亮光漆,車內甲醛濃度瞬間值最高分別可達0.957 ppm、0.062 ppm與0.122 ppm。 (2)日夜連續48小時監測結果發現,在汽車內密閉環境中使用液態芳香劑、皮革劑與亮光漆,監測甲醛平均濃度分別為0.244 ± 0.062 ppm、0.020 ± 0.010 ppm與0.034 ± 0.016 ppm。三個不同的汽車清潔用品於車內密閉空間實驗中,發現車內使用液態芳香劑的甲醛平均濃度超出環保署建議值2倍。 (3)在車內使用液態芳香劑、皮革劑以及亮光漆後,車內環境中甲醛濃度是未使用時的 7.4 倍、12.2 倍和 7.2 倍。顯示汽車清潔用品的使用,會造成車內人員曝露於高濃度甲醛環境中,其潛在危害值得重視。
Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a pungent and disturbing odor. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), Executive Yuan, listed formaldehyde as a toxic pollutant and, in November 2012, presented indoor air quality standards, in which the standard for formaldehyde is 0.08 ppm per hr. In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that formaldehyde is a carcinogenic and deformity-causing substance. Therefore, the risk that formaldehyde poses to human health has attracted substantial attention. Recently, the number of vehicle owners in Taiwan has increased, and a portion of these owners use automobile accessories to maintain the interior space of their vehicles. This study explores the exposure characteristics of formaldehyde in air freshener and cleaning supplies used in the confined spaces of vehicles. Common automobile accessories (e.g., liquid air freshener, leather cleaner, and varnish) available on the market were selected and placed in a vehicle for the experiment. During the sampling and monitoring process, a continuous formaldehyde monitor was employed to sample and monitor the air every 10 min for 48 hr. The experimental results are as follows: (a) During the monitoring process, using liquid air freshener, leather cleaner, and varnish in the confined space of a vehicle instantaneously reached maximal formaldehyde concentrations of 0.957, 0.062, and 0.122 ppm, respectively. (b) Regarding the continuous 48-hr monitoring, the results showed that average formaldehyde concentrations from using liquid air freshener, leather cleaner, and varnish in the confined space of a vehicle were respectively 0.244 ± 0.062, 0.020 ± 0.010, and 0.034 ± 0.016 ppm, indicating that the average formaldehyde concentration from using liquid air freshener in a vehicle exceeded the standard value recommended by EPA by 2-fold. (c) After using liquid air freshener, leather cleaner, and varnish in a vehicle, the formaldehyde concentrations were respectively 7.4-folds, 12.2-folds, and 7.2-folds of the concentrations before using the accessories. These results indicated that using automobile accessories exposes people in vehicles to high formaldehyde concentrations. Thus, the potential hazard of using these accessories requires special attention.