Posters

      Assessment of the impact of human presence and daily activities on indoor air quality

      Rotach, M.; Tharin, M.; Bielik, N.
      Conference date
      Aug 20, 2019
      Conference name
      International Societies of Exposure Science and Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISES ISIAQ)
      Topic
      Summary

      To assess the impact on indoor air quality (IAQ) of products with the potential to reduce individual risk and population harm in comparison to smoking cigarettes, an environmentally controlled exposure room was built in Philip Morris International Research & Development facility. An analytical platform, including 11 online and offline methods, was developed, validated, and subsequently applied for several studies involving volunteer panelists. It has long been known that the presence of human beings and their daily activities in an enclosed environment can significantly modify IAQ by releasing several hundreds of volatile organic compounds from breath and skin. We evaluated the impact of panelists present in the exposure room for two hours and also of different common human activities (drinking wine, using cosmetics, and cooking) during so-called “activity sessions.” Each activity was assessed separately using our analytical platform and exposure room under controlled environmental conditions. One method in particular, which is part of the analytical platform, measures the total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) yield and main contributors within a given range of volatility present in air. Its measurement relies on the use of gas chromatographic instrumentation equipped with parallel mass spectrometry and flame ionization detectors, allowing simultaneous quantification and identification of compounds present in the room atmosphere. The results obtained by TVOC analysis showed that prolonged human presence as well as indoor activities led to a deterioration of IAQ. Moreover, it was shown that TVOC patterns would vary qualitatively and quantitatively depending on the activities. Few constituents were specific for a type of experiment (e.g., fusel alcohols for the wine session), while most had just different patterns of increase (e.g., methylcyclosiloxanes had highest concentration in the cosmetic session). These learnings were applied to optimize the design for IAQ studies.

      PMIScience.com is operated by Philip Morris International for the purpose of publishing and disseminating scientific information about Philip Morris International’s efforts in support of its smoke-free product portfolio. This site is a global site for use by scientists, the public health and regulatory communities, and other stakeholders with an interest in tobacco policy. The purpose of this site is not advertising or marketing, nor is it directed at any specific market. It is not intended for use by consumers. New tobacco products sold in the United States are subject to FDA regulation; therefore the content of this site is not intended to make, and nor should it be construed as making, any product related claims in the United States without proper FDA authorization. ​
      ​
      Reduced Risk Products ("RRPs”) is the term we use to refer to products that present, are likely to present, or have the potential to present less risk of harm to smokers who switch to these products versus continuing smoking. PMI has a range of RRPs in various stages of development, scientific assessment and commercialization. All of our RRPs are smoke-free products that deliver nicotine with far lower quantities of harmful and potentially harmful constituents than found in cigarette smoke.