Where office VOCs come from
Office VOC sources fall into three groups. First, building fabric and fit-out: paints, adhesives, sealants, MDF furniture, carpet backing and acoustic panels release VOCs heavily for weeks after installation and at a lower steady rate for years. Second, occupant-driven sources: cleaning products, personal care, printers, electronics and food. Third, infiltration: traffic-generated VOCs entering through fresh air intakes in urban locations.
After a refurbishment, TVOC concentrations of 2,000–5,000 µg/m³ are common in the first weeks and can persist for months if ventilation is not increased during the bake-out period. Specific compounds — formaldehyde from MDF, toluene from adhesives, hexanal from natural materials — drive most of the targeted complaints.
Continuous TVOC monitoring
TVOC sensors give you the live picture — when concentrations rise, where they peak, and how quickly they decay when ventilation is increased. We deploy TVOC alongside CO₂ in a typical office monitoring rollout. Sensors are factory-calibrated to isobutylene reference and re-verified annually.
The continuous TVOC trace is invaluable for identifying intermittent sources — the Monday-morning cleaning peak, the printer area between 10 and 11, the seasonal release pattern of newly installed furniture.
Speciated VOC laboratory analysis
Where a specific source needs to be identified — odour complaints, post-refurbishment investigations, suspected solvent contamination — we take samples on sorbent tubes (Tenax TA, Carbograph) or DNPH cartridges for formaldehyde and send them to a UKAS-accredited laboratory for thermal-desorption GC-MS analysis to EN ISO 16000-6. Speciation typically returns 60+ individual compounds, identified and quantified.
The lab report tells you which compounds are present at what concentration, which source profile they match, and where they sit against indoor air quality guidelines (WHO, CIBSE TM40, WELL Air, German AgBB).
Remediation that actually works
Most office VOC problems respond to a combination of source removal (replacing a heavy-emitting product), targeted increase in fresh air supply during the bake-out period, and activated carbon filtration on AHU supply where outdoor VOC infiltration is the dominant source. We sequence the remediation by impact and verify with follow-up monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
What TVOC level is acceptable in an office?
WELL Building Standard and German AgBB both cite 500 µg/m³ as the action level for TVOC in occupied indoor spaces. A practical office target is below 300 µg/m³ once any new fit-out has bake-out complete.
How long does VOC testing take?
Sorbent-tube sampling takes around an hour per location and laboratory analysis returns within 5–10 working days. Continuous TVOC monitoring typically runs for two to four weeks.
We've just refurbished — how long should we wait before measuring?
We recommend measuring TVOC continuously from day one of occupancy. Concentrations peak in the first 4–12 weeks and the data is invaluable for managing occupant communications and bake-out ventilation.