Simplified speciation and atmospheric VOC emission rates from non-aerosol personal care products.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from personal care products (PCPs) can affect indoor air quality, and outdoor air quality when ventilated. In this paper we determine a set of simplified VOC species profiles and emission rates for a range of non-aerosol PCPs. These have been constructed from individual vapour analysis from 36 products available in the UK, using equilibrium headspace analysis with selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). A simplified speciation profile is created based on the observations, comprising four alcohols, two cyclic volatile siloxanes, and monoterpenes (grouped as limonene). Estimates are made for individual unit-of-activity VOC emissions for dose-usage of shampoos, shower gel, conditioner, liquid foundation, and moisturiser. We use these values as inputs to the INdoor air Detailed Chemical Model (INDCM) and compare results against real-world case-study experimental data. Activity-based emissions are then scaled based on plausible usage patterns to estimate the potential scale of annual per-person emissions for each product type (e.g. 2 g limonene person yr from shower gels). Annual emissions from non-aerosol PCPs for the UK are then calculated (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane 0.25 ktonne yr , and limonene 0.15 ktonne yr ) and these compared with the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory estimates for non-aerosol cosmetics and toiletries.