The VOCLoad metric was developed to quantify the amount of one's volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure. This guide will detail:
the origins of this metric
the difference between acute and chronic VOCLoad
what it means for health and performance
What is VOC-Load?
As an awareness grew about the impacts of air quality and VOC exposure on cardiorespiratory and neurological health, it became evident that a method for quantifying exposure could be valuable.
The VOCLoad metric was designed to capture that impact. To accomplish that, the full spectrum of VOCs and the nature of your exposure must all be captured and quantified.
Now, exposure to certain kinds of VOCs appear to have beneficial impacts on health. Some VOCs, primarily emitted from trees and other plants, have health-promoting impacts such as stress reduction, lowered inflammation, improvements to immunity, lower blood pressure, and others.
Think, forest bathing, the Japanese activity that has grown globally. In essence, this activity is simply spending time in nature. But it has been shown to have significant positive health effects. There are many reasons spending time in nature is good for your health, but a growing body of literature is identifying forest VOCs as one of the contributing factors. You are literally swimming through a sea of health-promoting chemicals.
Exposure to these kinds of VOCs has a net positive impact on your VOCLoad.
On the other hand, exposure to a wide range of other kinds of VOCs can negatively impact your health. Think smog, car exhaust, methane, factory and wildfire smoke.
These can exacerbate and potentially even cause asthma. Some have linked this kind of poor air quality to Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. Other poor cardiorespiratory measures and mental health declines have been widely studied.
Exposure to these kinds of VOCs has a net negative impact on you VOCLoad.
Therefore, your VOCLoad embodies your exposure to all VOCs, both good and bad, to provide a holistic view of the potential impacts the air chemistry you are exposed to has on your health.
Acute VOC-Load
Your acute VOCLoad is the VOCLoad you are exposed to over a short period of time. This is typically on the order of 24 hours.
In the short-term, small concentrations of VOCs, both good or bad, tend to have a relatively smaller impact on immediate health concerns. This is especially true for generally healthy population.
However, for vulnerable populations, the threshold for a resulting health issue derived from acute exposure is lower. For example, it may not be wise for a healthy individual to spend a lot of time outdoors if a nearby wildfire has created a thick layer of smoke in your area, but you may only end up with a sore throat or a mild headache in the short-term. Meanwhile, someone with respiratory sensitivities may have an acute asthma attack or other serious breathing difficulties that can lead to the need for emergency medications or care from professional healthcare workers.
While individuals with respiratory concerns should be extra cautious about acute VOC exposure, healthy individuals should also be cognizant of VOCLoad not just for short-term irritants but also to its development into chronic VOCLoad concerns.
Chronic VOC-Load
Chronic VOCLoad refers to the long-term exposure one has to both good and bad VOCs. This typically spans weeks, months, or even years.
The threshold for impacts to health from a chronic exposure perspective are much lower than those typically associated with problems from acute exposure. That's because the impacts from exposure to small concentrations can compound over time and gradually build up.
Much like eating a few pieces of cake one evening won't cause too many problems other than a stuffed stomach, short-term exposure issues can quickly subside. But if you eat a few pieces of cake every night, you may, over time, start gaining weight, which can lead to obesity, which can lead to cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Just like chronic diseases that build slowly over time, chronic VOCLoad can exemplify repeated exposure to small concentrations that may develop into bigger problems in the future.
On the other hand, chronic exposure to health-promoting VOCs can provide protective health effects. This is why understanding your net VOCLoad can be valuable; you can be exposed to good VOCs just like you can be exposed to bad VOCs.
Spending lots of time in nature, where trees and plants can both emit health-promoting VOCs and sequester bad VOCs, you can end up with a chronic, positive VOCLoad that could result in a reduced risk of many negative health conditions and chronic diseases.
How is VOC-Load Derived
The way VOCLoad is derived requires knowledge of:
the kinds of VOCs one is exposed to
the concentration of those VOCs
your exposure time
and overall impact those VOCs have on your health.
The impact certain VOCs have on your health vary widely in terms of our understanding. We known a great deal about some VOCs, some we know a little, and some we know hardly nothing at all. That means the VOCLoad metric continues to evolve and improve over time.
VOC exposure time and concentration have also been hard to quantify. But as personal air quality trackers emerge and improve in their capabilities to quantify these factors with higher frequency and higher accuracy, our VOC exposure's impact on health and performance will continue to improve.
Keeping track of your VOCLoad can help you monitor your health over time. It can even help you modify your training.
So keep checking in from time to time as we continue to refine and improve our understanding of VOC exposure and explore the good and the bad.