General Introduction to VOCs Monitoring and Measurement Methods

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a component of air pollution that includes a complex mixture of hundreds of carbon-containing gases. VOCs are noteworthy substances in the perspective of achieving co-control of PM2.5 and ozone, as VOCs are common precursors of both. In addition, apart from other substances, VOCs monitoring is much more complex than other air pollutants as it consists of more than a hundred species and has various lifetimes and characteristic sources. VOCs also include a wide variety of chemicals, some of which can cause short- and long-term adverse health effects. However, due to the unique characteristics of VOCs and the relatively high cost of measurement, VOC monitoring and its related activities are still at an early stage in the EANET region. 

This presentation is part of the EANET project “Capacity Building in Promoting VOCs in the EANET”. The recording of the online training is available here.

The EANET project “Capacity Building in Promoting VOCs in the EANET” has started with a feasibility study in 2023, and plans to implement full-scale activities from 2024 to 2026 following approval by the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG) on the EANET in the respective years. In 2023 and 2024, collaboration with pilot cities in  Mongolia and in the Philippines (2023), and Cambodia and Viet Nam (2024) was conducted. The project is currently being continued in 2025 and 2026.