STUDY ON EMISSION OF DECOMPOSED CHEMICALS OF ESTERS CONTAINED IN PVC FLOORING AND ADHESIVE

Recently, products of chemical reaction have been at issue as the topic of research on Indoor AirQuality. In this study, the emission mechanism of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H) is studied. It has beenreported that 2E1H at high concentrations is measured in indoor air over the long term. The emissionmechanism for 2E1H is considered that water with high pH in concrete slabs and self-leveling sub-floormaterial reacts to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in PVC flooring and compounds containing the2-ethyl-1-hexyl group in the adhesive. It is important to clarify the 2E1H emission mechanism for IAQ,because 2E1H is the cause of indoor odor and sick building syndrome. In this study, PVC floorings areattached using various adhesives to a self-leveling sub-floor material that contains water, and their2E1H emission rates are measured. Furthermore, the components of the adhesives are analyzed usingchemical analysis. It is found that the 2E1H emission rate from the floor is affected by the type ofadhesive. On the other hand, some components in the adhesives may suppress the hydrolysis ofesters. The hydrolysis of polymers and residual monomers in the adhesive causes 2E1H emission fromthe adhesive.