The Committee on Sick House Syndrome: Indoor Air Pollution (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan) recommended reviewing guideline values for harmful compounds for the purpose of risk evaluation. In this study we selected domestic hand-pump spray products and focused on compounds listed as candidates for revision of guideline values and as new additions to the guideline value list. We also examined appropriate analytical methods, surveyed the product states; and after using specific products, calculated the average indoor concentrations of the detected compounds and considered their effect on indoor air quality.

A total of 33 compounds [9 phthalates, 20 glycols, and 4 volatile organic compounds (VOCs)] were analyzed in 33 products. Four phthalates (0.47 to 9.8 mg/L) were detected in six products, fifteen glycols (0.46 to 3,200 mg/L) in thirty-two products, and two VOCs (0.51 to 10 mg/L) in eight products, respectively. Estimation of the average concentrations of the detected compounds in indoor air after product use showed that phthalates and VOCs were within the recommended threshold values for indoor air, indicating that those products had a low probability of being a source of indoor air pollution. However, comparatively high concentrations of glycols, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether were measured, suggesting that the use of products containing these ingredients could markedly affect indoor air quality. The findings showed that domestic hand-pump spray products may act as a significant source of glycol emissions.