Safe VOC level in air?

[Paoputrees]

Hi there!

I’ve been trying to dig up info on this to no avail.

I am moving my 5 cockatiels from my parents house to my new home soon, and got an Airthings Wave Plus to scan for VOC levels in the air as a little alert system to know when to ventilate etc.

What is the safe range for birds? So far I’ve averaged at 336ppb for 48 hrs (according to the app this is moderate) the lowest at 50 and highest was at 2200ppb (which the app considered high. This level maintained for a day after I used some dry shampoo (of course I wont use that once they are here))

Does anyone have any insight on this?

thanks!

 

[Wardy]

This might help

https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/toxins/voc.htm

 

[flyzipper]

This is a good deep dive into VOCs in our homes (specifically in new construction)...

Is your "new home" new to you, or newly constructed? Newly constructed homes will take a while for all the new materials to off gas, whereas existing construction will have been off gassing for the duration of its existence.

This document from Prism labs, goes into some discussion about formaldehyde specifically. They don't mention birds, but do talk about problems for those people with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), and that might be a good proxy without bird-specific data. They also list the acceptable levels of formaldehyde from various global organizations and countries. Lastly, they offer the following general guidance...

Regardless of these general guidelines, the key for healthy indoor air quality is to minimize formaldehyde and VOC exposure everywhere possible. Every person is unique in their reaction to formaldehyde. Source reduction and ventilation improvements are typically the best ways to reduce exposure in indoor air. Where source reduction isn’t possible, an air cleaner equipped with a carbon bed adsorbent can be helpful in reducing indoor formaldehyde levels.​

I'll post a follow-up if I find anything about VOC levels in general.

 

[Paoputrees]

Thanks so much for the info! Ill have to take time today to watch that video in full.

the home was built in ‘94 and is only new to us. We have some new furniture coming in the next few months and generally speaking with it being winter here we cantkeep windows open, so its helpful for me tobe alerted when ventilation is necessary when i might not be able to smell anything in the air