How contaminated are your own living rooms, the office and the workplace or public facilities, schools and kindergartens with formaldehyde (HCHO) and volatile organic compounds (VOC)? Contamination of room air with these most commonly occurring and simultaneously most dangerous groups of substances can neither be smelled nor tasted – but thanks to the new HCHO-TVOC measuring device BQ16 from Trotec can be precisely measured delightfully easily and at the same time with the greatest reliability.
Immediately after being switched on, the new measuring device BQ16 automatically detects in real time the current concentrations of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds. Here, the BQ16 detects even the smallest concentrations from 0.01 ppm or 0.01 mg/m³ – assisting you in precisely assessing the hazard in your own rooms and at the workplace, in the car or directly on site in the trading house, for example when shopping for furniture or building materials. Because hazardous formaldehyde and abundant volatile organic compounds hide away in many modern materials.
- Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a chemical raw material for many industrial products from lacquer or paint to adhesives and binders to preservatives. Many materials containing formaldehyde, such as wood materials, flooring or textiles, can still cause contamination of breathing air in closed rooms for a long time due to degassing. According to the EU chemicals regulation (CLP), due to its particular toxicity, formaldehyde is categorised as a hazard class 1B carcinogen as potentially causing cancer in humans. According to the guideline of the German Federal Environmental Agency, indoor room air should not exceed a concentration of 0.1 mg of formaldehyde per cubic metre – not even short term!
- Volatile organic compounds (VOC/TVOC) are substances that easily evaporate even at low temperatures – therefore “vaporising” and polluting the air. They are therefore identified as volatile organic compounds and measured as a total value TVOC (total volatile organic compounds). There are many sources of VOCs in indoor spaces, for example, floor coverings and coatings, paints and varnishes, sealants and glues, furniture and carpets. People can suffer from long-term illnesses caused by indoor air polluted by VOCs. In this context, we also speak of ‚sick building syndrome‘. According to the German Federal Environmental Agency, a permanent TVOC value of 1 to 3 mg/m³ should not be exceeded for rooms intended for long-term occupation.
This is how it works
Because the legislator defines the limit values mostly in mg/m³ or ppm (parts per million), the BQ16 was designed from the beginning so that all measured values of formaldehyde and VOC concentrations detected in the room air can be displayed with a single keystroke either in mg/m³ or ppm. Both measured values are displayed simultaneously on the easily readable back-lit display of the BQ16. Using the integrated MIN, MAX and HOLD functions, the highest or lowest measured value can also be displayed at any time, and the current measured value held if necessary. For battery-saving operation, this practical measuring device is also equipped with an automatic shut-off.
Four of the many advantages that I particularly like:
- the development, design and production is 100% Trotec
- the compact air quality measuring device detects formaldehyde and VOC concentration in the room air
- the measured values are determined in ppm or mg/m³
- the dual real time display for HCHO and TVOC
