Relatively little information exists on the organic contaminants in indoor air, except for some toxic materials in industrial occupational environments. In view of the extended exposures of individuals to indoor air in spaces other than in industry, information on such contaminants is needed before meaningful definitions of the indoor air quality with respect to organic contaminants can be devised.

The present project was designed to serve as a fact-finding effort on the nature and approximate concentrations of whatever organic substances in vapor form occur in indoor air in typical enclosed spaces. It was also designed to evaluate if these substances occur also in the outside air and thus would not be susceptible to a minimization merely by ventilation.

The project was planned in two phases:
Phase I Development of Methodology and Initial Field Trials
Phase II Data Collection from Many Sites