2014-07-02 09:19:03
The quality of indoor air in buildings is a public health concern in France and in many countries. Indeed, the indoor environment offers a wide variety of situations of exposure to chemical or microbiological contaminants, which can range from simple discomfort (olfactory discomfort, eye irritation, etc.) the onset or aggravation of pathologies, particularly respiratory ones. In addition, each individual spends on average, in a temperate climate, 85% of its time in closed environments, the majority of which in the habitat.
To respond to the health challenge represented by indoor air quality, ANSES issued an internal request in 2004 to draw up indoor air quality guide values (VGAI). These have been defined as concentrations in the air of a chemical substance below which, in the current state of knowledge, no health effect or nuisance having an impact on the health of the general population is expected. . They aim to protect the general population from any harmful effects related to aerial exposure to this substance. The IAGVs proposed by ANSES serve as a basis for public authorities to set regulatory values for monitoring indoor air quality.
It is in this context that ANSES is today publishing its opinion on the development of two IAGVs, short and long term, for acetaldehyde.
Sources of exposure to acetaldehyde and health effects
There are many sources of acetaldehyde in the indoor environment: organic matter combustion processes (smoking, cooking food and domestic wood heating), building materials, decoration, furniture and everyday consumer products ( floor cleaners, parquet floors, laminates, glues, stains, strippers, slabs and flocking, etc.).
The concentration in the indoor environment of acetaldehyde is greater than or equal to the concentration measured in the outdoor air in more than 98% of French homes.
The main effects observed in humans after exposure to acetaldehyde vapors are irritation of the eyes, skin, and upper and lower respiratory tracts, including bronchoconstriction in asthmatics. In addition, acetaldehyde has been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Class 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) since 1999.
ANSES’s conclusions and recommendations
Two IAGVs were proposed by the Agency. A first value has been established to protect against effects occurring after short-term exposure: 3000 µg.m-3 for an exposure time of 1 hour. This is to protect the population from occasional or intermittent exposure to high levels related to a particular activity. Acetaldehyde is a strong respiratory irritant. After short-term exposure, people with asthma may experience bronchoconstriction.
A second value has been established to protect against long-term effects: 160 µg.m-3 for an exposure period greater than or equal to one year. The aim is to protect the daily population exposed to lower but permanent levels (background levels). Indeed, the irritant effects of acetaldehyde on the upper respiratory tract can lead to lesions of the epithelium for repeated exposures. Concerning this IAGV, no measurement method is currently recommended for the comparison of measurements with the proposed value at 160 µg.m-3. This is why the Agency recommends the development and validation of appropriate measurement methods.
The Agency also recommends conducting studies aimed at assessing exposure to several aldehydes present in indoor air, particularly when formaldehyde, acrolein and acetaldehyde are measured simultaneously, as well as their health consequences, with a view to to develop a guideline value for a mixture of aldehydes.
Finally, ANSES stresses the importance raise public awareness of simple measures that can effectively reduce indoor air contamination such as, for example, ventilation by opening windows and the use of extractor hoods in connection with the main sources of acetaldehyde in indoor air (food cooking, domestic wood heating, tobacco smoke).
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