What is Offgassing?
Offgassing. No, it has nothing to do with flatulence, but it is often accompanied by strong odors. Jokes aside, offgassing is a buzzword that gets a lot of attention these days – and for good reason.
If you’ve ever painted your living room and needed to take a break because you started getting lightheaded, you probably experienced offgassing. That new car smell? Also offgassing. Below, we’ll take a closer look at what offgassing is and explain why you might want to pay attention to it if you’re looking to reduce the number of toxic chemicals you’re exposed to.
What Does it Mean if Something is Offgassing?
What does offgassing mean? Offgassing, or off-gassing, describes the leaching of certain chemicals—VOCs, or volatile organic compounds—into the air as vapor.
VOCs are initially held in solids or liquids but become gasses when exposed to room-temperature environments. New products exude greater concentrations of VOCs simply because they haven’t had much time to shed the compounds.
Concerns around offgassing have to do with health conditions, both acute and long-term. Some of the more immediate symptoms of offgassing include sinus irritation, a runny nose, nausea, headaches, and dizziness.
After long-term exposure to offgassing, some people experience vision issues, kidney or liver damage, cognitive difficulties, and, in rare cases, cancer.
When to Expect Offgassing and How to Reduce It
The strong smell of new paint is a telltale sign of offgassing. You might also notice offgassing odors after purchasing new furniture (especially carpets and mattresses).
Glue for installing carpets and electronic devices are other common household products associated with offgassing. A staggering amount of common household items contain at least one VOC.
Materials Associated with It
So, what exactly are the compounds you smell during offgassing? More than 10,000 types of VOCs exist, but a handful come up time and time again.
A few common offgassing compounds you might encounter include:
- Formaldehyde. It’s not difficult to find construction materials containing formaldehyde. You can often find it in insulation, pressed-wood products, paint, lacquer, and finishes.
- Ethylene glycol. This is the main compound used in most antifreeze products. Other products with glycol include adhesives, brake fluid, cosmetics, paints, and detergents.
- Benzene. Gasoline and cigarettes are two products that often contain a large amount of benzene. Paint thinners and cleaning products are two more usual suspects.
Tips for Reducing Offgassing
“How can I reduce offgassing in my home?” is perhaps the most common question people ask after they learn about VOCs. While it might be impossible—or at least impractical—to have zero offgassing products, you can control the amount at home or work.
- Ensure living spaces are well-ventilated. One of the downsides of cutting-edge, energy-efficient buildings is the relative lack of ventilation. Aim to strike a happy medium between energy efficiency and efficient ventilation systems.
- Use an air purifier. HEPA filters are good for a lot of substances, but you may need something even more heavy-duty. A good air purifier can capture potentially toxic vapors and increase the clean air in your home.
- Buy non-toxic or recycled products. Antique materials leach VOCs at a far lower rate than new products. However, some searching online can turn up non-toxic products that are as good as new.
- Run a dehumidifier. VOCs love to leach in hot, humid environments. Keeping your home’s temperature and humidity down can dramatically lower your VOC levels.
Our Take on It
Your nose will usually alert you to extreme levels of offgassing before your health begins to suffer. Some level of it is unavoidable, but it may be worth measuring the levels in your home if young children or immuno-compromised people live there.
Fortunately, you have a lot of power over the amount of offgassing that goes on in your house or workplace. Shop smart and sustainably to reduce the amount of toxic materials you’re exposed to – and do the planet a favor while you’re at it.
