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Atmospheric chemistry

Household chemicals now rival cars for US VOCs

Seltzer KM, Pennington E, Rao V, et al. · Atmospheric chemistry and physics · 2021

Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC

A 2016 inventory finds volatile chemical products emit as much regulated VOC as all US mobile sources, with substantial IVOC/SOA potential.

Key findings

US VCP organics are 3.05 Tg (9.5 kg per person per year). After dropping regulatory-exempt compounds, 2.6 Tg VOC equals all mobile sources. About 20% of organics are IVOCs; effective SOA yield is 5.3% and ozone MIR 1.58 gO3 g−1. Usage and composition, not fate/transport, dominate uncertainty (95% CI 2.61–3.53 Tg).

Methodology

Authors built VCPy, mapping product-use categories, composition, evaporation vs use timescales, and controls, then allocated national 2016 emissions to counties and tested them with Monte Carlo uncertainty and Los Angeles emission-ratio evaluation.

Limitations

This is an inventory, not a chemistry-transport simulation of ozone or SOA. Indoor loss, time evolution, and some industrial controls are simplified, and Los Angeles skill may not generalize everywhere.

How this study connects

Role on claims

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  • SupportsAtmospheric chemistryconcept

    This library holds 5 empirical papers on atmospheric chemistry with measured outcomes rather than reviews.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

  • SupportsAtmospheric chemistryconcept

    A 2016 inventory finds volatile chemical products emit as much regulated VOC as all US mobile sources, with substantial IVOC/SOA potential.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

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