Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation Potential of Consumer Products Used Indoors
SOFIE SCHWINK, Tony Hao, Maximilian Schmid, Marina Vance, University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract Number: 31
Working Group: Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Aerosol: Sources, Transformations, and Impacts
Abstract
When volatile chemical products (VCPs) volatilize, leave the indoor environment, and enter the oxidative outdoor environment, they can undergo a complex series of oxidation reactions in the gas phase until their volatility is sufficiently low for them to condense onto particles, forming secondary organic aerosol (SOA). SOA causes adverse health effects, contributes to haze in urban areas, and affects the global climate balance and radiative forcing. We are assessing the SOA formation potential of different product categories typically used indoors, such as personal care products and cleaning products, in controlled chamber experiments. For these experiments, the product of interest is introduced into a 0.68 m3 stainless steel chamber by passing air through a second, small chamber containing an open dish with a small volume of the product inside. The oxidation chamber contains a high concentration of ozone, which reacts with VOCs emitted from each product to form SOA. We use a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) to determine particle size distributions and concentrations and an aerosol particle mass analyzer (APM) to determine the effective density of particles. SOA formation potential is calculated as a ratio of particle mass formed in the chamber to mass of liquid product evaporated. We are primarily measuring SOA formation via heterogeneous nucleation using ammonium sulfate seed but are also investigating yields from homogeneous nucleation. Understanding differences in the aerosol formation potential of common indoor consumer products could help inform us about their potential environmental impacts.