Air Quality Results from Green Festival San Francisco

We’ve been swamped so the release of the air quality results from Green Festival San Francisco has taken longer than expected. Hopefully those who were at the Green Festival are still curious!

I don’t have enough time to provide too much commentary or interpretation of the results… but here is the raw data.

Formaldehyde Results from Green Festival – SF:

Formaldehyde Results from Vapor Monitoring Badge – Green Festival San Francisco – Lab Analysis NIOSH Method 2016.

Formaldehyde was detected, but it was measured at relatively low levels [0.005 ppm, or 5 parts per billion (ppb)]. It is worth noting that levels were below the ATSDR’s Minimum Risk Level (MRL) for 365 days of exposure (8 ppb), and well below NIOSH RELs and OSHA PELs.

Other VOC Results from Green Festival – SF:

VOC Results from Vapor Monitoring Badge – Green Festival San Francisco – Lab Analysis EPA TO-15 Supplemented by OSHA and NIOSH Methods

 It’s always a little scary to see what exactly we’re breathing indoors. That said – these levels are considered rather low and would generally be considered “healthy indoor air.” None of the chemicals tested for were found in concentrations above NIOSH, OSHA or ACGIH limits. Yes, some of these chemicals are nasty… but they were measured in very low concentrations and according to our regulatory agencies would not pose a threat to otherwise healthy individuals.

Generally we would dive a little into each chemical. Sometimes we theorize where the chemicals may have originated indoors. However, time is short and I can’t dig too deep this morning. Chemicals found from the list of approximately 50 VOCs tested for, included Acetone, Benzene, Butane, D-Limonene, Ethyl Alcohol (dominant), Isopropyl Alcohol, 2-Methylbutane and Toluene. The following chart shows concentrations in microgram per cubic meter (ug/m3) for chemical found in the VOC scan.

Green Festival VOC Pie Chart – concentration (ug/m3) of various VOC found

If you have any questions about the methods used for these air quality results from Green Festival San Francisco, please check out a previous blog post entitled “Air Quality Testing San Francisco – Green Festival.”