# Assessment of health risks from exposure to indoor volatile organic compounds in European educational buildings

## TL;DR

This study assesses health risks from indoor VOC exposure in European schools, finding elevated risks from formaldehyde and benzene in several countries.

## Contribution

The study provides a health risk assessment of VOCs in educational buildings across 17 EU countries using a standardized risk calculator.

## Key findings

- Formaldehyde exposure poses increased health risks in 14 EU countries.
- Benzene exposure causes neurological risks in four EU countries.
- VOC concentrations in educational buildings are significantly higher than outdoors.

## Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) comprise an important group of indoor air pollutants, commonly found in building materials and consumer products. Due to their low boiling points, VOCs are prevalent in indoor environments, with concentrations in homes, schools, and offices often two to five times higher than outdoors. Chronic exposure to VOCs is linked to a range of adverse health outcomes, including respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular damage, and an increased cancer risk. Children and adolescents who spend a significant amount of time in educational buildings are particularly vulnerable to these effects. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the related health risks to those in day care centres, schools, high-schools and universities across 17 member states of the European Union (EU) by utilizing a previously published dataset and collecting data on levels of 9 VOCs. Health risks were assessed using the World Health Organization’s Indoor Air Quality Risk Calculator. Point of departure indices (PODIs) and cancer risks were calculated, with values above 1.0 and 10 cases/1 million population respectively indicating an increased health risk. Our results showed that formaldehyde exposure poses an increased risk of respiratory, neurological and carcinogenic effects in educational buildings in 14 of the countries studied. Additionally, neurological risks from exposure to benzene were above the limit in 4 EU countries. These findings indicate the need to reduce formaldehyde and benzene concentrations in European educational buildings to protect the health of the next generation.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-37072-2.