What are VOCs? – The Hindu

VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds are carbon‑based chemical compounds that can easily evaporate at normal room temperature and have high vapour pressure. Once the chemicals evaporate, they immediately enter the air and spread across the room. The gases can be found in a variety of everyday products. And one doesn’t need a lab or a scientist to recognise it. The strong scent and odour that is generated from perfumes, cleaning products, varnishes, etc is a result of many kinds of VOCs. 

Now what about the smell? What causes the strong smell to flutter into your nostrils and make you sigh in contentment? The odour normally comes from the binder agent or the solvent that is utilised to finish (provide the final touches or coating) a product. In the case of new paint, the main solvent would be glycol ethers that have a high evaporation speed. When it comes to exposure, the concentration of VOCs is much higher indoors than it is outside (about five times higher), due to the number of sources from which they can come. From the fresh paint jobs done on your walls to the varnishing done on furniture. Not to mention the cleaning products! Some VOCs are emitted into the air through chemical reactions, while others enter directly. Off-gassing is one of the main reasons for this. It is the process by which chemicals in products and materials are released into the atmosphere through either exposure to heat or a reaction with the environment.