Stage-specific emissions of volatile organic compounds and associated health risks during residential renovation

Renovation activities release substantial amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs); however, systematic quantification of stage-specific health risks remains limited. In this study, five representative renovation stages—demolition, putty, wall-paint, carpentry, and furniture—were monitored at residential sites in Beijing, China. VOCs were identified and quantified using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Nine VOCs with regulatory limits and well-documented health risk values, as specified in the Chinese national standard, were selected. The total VOC concentrations followed the order of carpentry > furniture > wall-paint > putty > demolition, with benzene and p,m-xylene being the dominant contributors in carpentry and furniture stages, respectively. Health risks were assessed using the U.S. EPA model, and disease burden was evaluated using the GBD model. Cancer risks exceeded 10^-6 in all stages, with carpentry exhibiting the highest levels; benzene contributed more than 50% of the cancer risk across all stages (up to 87% during wall-paint and carpentry). Non-cancer risks also peaked during carpentry, primarily driven by benzene and trichloroethylene, which together accounted for 69.2%–91.1% of the contributions. Disease burden analysis revealed that benzene-related leukemia risk was approximately 1.5-fold higher for workers during carpentry than that for residents; toluene-related asthma burden also exceeded residential levels during carpentry and furniture stages. VOC concentrations were strongly correlated with building materials and influenced by environmental factors. Reducing window-closure duration effectively lowered mean cancer and non-cancer risks below 10⁻⁴ and 1, respectively. Carpentry and furniture are critical high-risk stages and underscoring the need for targeted exposure control strategies.