During the last three decades, there has been increasing concern over the effects of VOC exposure on health. Public awareness of environmental, health and safety issues related to air quality has grown significantly. Regulations and labelling of products have been promoted by the governments, resulting in ever more stringent specifications for the industry regarding the emission of volatile compounds from materials.

Plastic materials, coatings and inks, adhesives, flooring materials, furniture, textiles, insulating materials potentially emit volatile organic compounds (VOC) that contribute to the indoor air quality in terms of odours and pollutants.

In the automotive industry these topics are controlled by many specifications and have a great impact on the comfort, well-being and driving sensations.
In food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, volatiles released by the packaging can have an impact on the organoleptic perception of the products and even on their quality.
Non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) present in a food contact material/article may migrate from the material into food and requires often high sensitive analysis .

New consumer products and new biobased/recycled materials coming today on the marketplace have to be evaluated for their VOC release, including their contribution to the odour perception of the products.