About TVOC
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carcinogenic, harmful chemicals that can be released, or off-gassed, into the air. VOC concentrations are consistently higher indoors (up to 10 times, according to the U.S. EPA) than outdoors and are found in common household products and furnishings. TVOC, or total volatile organic compounds, is a catch-all term used to describe the overall level of chemicals present in your air.
For an in-depth look at TVOC, we recommend you check out our free guide Understanding TVOC: What You Need To Know About Volatile Organic Compounds. This article will answer many questions, including:
- What is TVOC?
- Are all VOCs dangerous?
- Where do VOCs come from?
- How can I protect myself from harmful VOCs?
You may also find these helpful:
How the Laser Egg+ Chemical measures TVOC?
A metal-oxide-semiconductor(MOS) sensor is used in the Laser Egg to measure TVOC concentration. To ensure measurements remain accurate throughout the sensor’s lifetime, the sensor is continually self-calibrating: the lowest reading is used as a baseline, and all given TVOC readings are relative to this baseline.
For the first 5 minutes of powering on, the Laser Egg+ Chemical will display the message: ‘TVOC sensor warming up.’ During this time, we recommend you bring the Laser Egg+ Chemical outside to set a baseline value.
The TVOC index uses TVOC (ppm) to communicate the level of VOCs in your surroundings. The TVOC index is developed based on global standards commonly used to regulate TVOC.
The index and scale are as follows:
|
TVOC in ppm (Previous version of Laser Egg 2+) |
TVOC in ppb (Laser Egg+ Chemical) |
TVOC Index |
|
|
Good |
0.12-0.2 |
0-220 |
1-50 |
|
Moderate |
0.2-0.3 |
220-660 |
50-100 |
|
Unhealthy |
0.3-0.6 |
660-2200 |
100-200 |
|
Very unhealthy |
0.6-2 |
2200-5500 |
200-500 |
|
Hazardous |
>2 |
5500 + |
500 |
On Laser Egg+ Chemical, an Overall Index is displayed on the first screen by default, and the Overall Index is calculated as the higher one of the AQI and the TVOC index.
The Laser Egg+ Chemical can detect the following VOCs:
- Aldehydes
- Aliphatic hydrocarbons
- Aromatic hydrocarbons
- CH4
- Ketones
- LPG
- CO
- Amines
- Alcohols
- Organic acids