Source apportionment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in vehicle cabins diffusing from interior materials. Part I: Measurements of VOCs in new cars in China

Vehicle air quality is a topic of interest but information regarding the composition and sources of interior volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is incomplete. This study improves this situation by determining VOC species that deserve to be concerned in new vehicles and providing basic data for source apportionment. VOC measurements in 86 vehicles manufactured between 2017 and 2018 from 10 of the top-selling models in the Chinese market were performed. A total of 41 species were identified as “noteworthy” VOCs in new vehicles based on five criteria: prevalence, possible health effects, possible odors, characteristic presence in vehicles, and high concentrations. Significant correlations were found for approximately half the 820 [(41 × 40)/2] possible pair combinations of the 41 determined VOCs suggesting they come from a few common sources. The data could improve our understanding of VOC levels in new vehicles and can be used for source apportionment.