Indoor air quality in schools after the process of cleaning and coating linoleum flooring Results of the study LUPE 7

As part of the Landeruntersuchungsprogramme (LUPE), measurements of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) were conducted in 24 schools. Measurements were carried out three days as well as four weeks after the cleaning and coating process of linoleum coated floors. Neither 3 days nor 4 weeks post-cleaning the procedure resulted in significant changes, concerning systemically lower or higher concentrations of individual aldehydes and their sums. Following cleaning procedures, higher concentrations of glycol ethers occur in indoor air, which may lead to the exceedance of guideline values. The sum of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) pre-cleaning showed a broad range with values varying between 80 and 1 300 mu g/m(3). Approximately three days after cleaning, TVOC concentrations, with glycol ethers as main components, increased to concerning or major objective levels that are non-tolerable over longer periods in 16 of the schools. After approximately four weeks post-cleaning, almost all of the TVOC values decreased to non-concerning levels and air quality returned to background levels.