README

An open-source calculator and dataset collection for evaluating VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) exposure from cleaning products used in healthcare facilities. Covers 26 jurisdictions across the United States and Canada.

What This Does

Given a cleaning product's VOC content, a room's geometry, and ventilation parameters, this tool calculates:

• VOC concentration (mg/m³) at steady state during a cleaning cycle
• OSHA PEL comparison — what percentage of the Permissible Exposure Limit the concentration represents
• Time to safe reentry — how long until VOC concentration drops below 10% of PEL
• Annual VOC load — total VOC released per year at the given cleaning frequency
• Multi-jurisdiction compliance — whether the product meets VOC limits in each of 26 jurisdictions

Datasets

Two CSV datasets are included in datasets/:

Dataset A: VOC Regulatory Limits by Jurisdiction (650 rows)

VOC limits (g/L) for 25 cleaning product categories across 26 jurisdictions:

• US Federal (EPA 40 CFR Part 59 Subpart C)
• California (CARB Consumer Products Regulations)
• 12 OTC states (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, DC)
• 8 states with independent regulations (MI, CO, IL, IN, IA, OH, UT, WA)
• Canada Federal (SOR/2021-268)
• Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec

Each row includes the product category, numeric VOC limit, regulation name, effective date, and healthcare-specific context notes.

Dataset B: Healthcare Cleaning Product VOC Compliance Matrix (5,000 rows)

Synthetic product data modeled on real institutional cleaning product categories:

• VOC content (g/L concentrate and effective diluted)
• Certifications (Green Seal GS-37, UL ECOLOGO, EPA Safer Choice, UL GREENGUARD Gold, LEED v4)
• Per-jurisdiction compliance flags (compliant/non-compliant in each of 26 jurisdictions)
• Healthcare approval status, IPAC compatibility rating
• Pricing (CAD/litre), dilution ratios, coverage rates
• Recommended healthcare facility types

Calculation Model

effective_voc     = product_voc_g_per_L × dilution_ratio
product_applied_L = room_sqft / coverage_sqft_per_L
total_voc_mg      = effective_voc × product_applied_L × 1000

# Single-zone mass balance with ventilation
emission_rate     = total_voc_mg / cleaning_duration_hr
ventilation_rate  = air_changes_per_hour × room_volume_m3
steady_state      = emission_rate / ventilation_rate

osha_pel_percent  = (steady_state / 300) × 100

ASHRAE 62.1-2022 minimum ventilation rates for healthcare spaces are built in as reference values:

Engines

The calculation is implemented in seven languages. Each exposes /calculate (POST) and /health (GET) REST endpoints:

Quick Start (Python)

pip install healthcare-voc-compliance
# or run from source:
cd engines/python
pip install -r requirements.txt
python engine.py          # CLI mode — runs sample calculation
python engine.py --serve  # HTTP server on port 8001

API Example

curl -X POST http://localhost:8001/calculate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "room_sqft": 200,
    "ceiling_height_ft": 9,
    "product_voc_g_per_L": 8.0,
    "dilution_ratio": 0.015625,
    "coverage_sqft_per_L": 400,
    "air_changes_per_hour": 6,
    "cleaning_frequency_per_year": 365,
    "product_category": "General Purpose Cleaner",
    "space_type": "patient_room"
  }'

Regulatory Sources

• EPA 40 CFR Part 59 Subpart C — US federal VOC emission standards for consumer products
• CARB Consumer Products Program — California VOC limits
• Canada SOR/2021-268 — Federal VOC concentration limits
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1 — Permissible Exposure Limits
• ASHRAE 62.1-2022 — Ventilation for healthcare facilities
• Green Seal GS-37 — Institutional cleaning product standard
• UL GREENGUARD Gold — Low-emission certification for sensitive environments
• EPA Safer Choice — Product certification program

Project Structure

healthcare-voc-compliance/
├── datasets/
│   ├── generate_regulatory_limits.py     # Dataset A generator
│   ├── generate_product_matrix.py        # Dataset B generator
│   ├── voc_regulatory_limits.csv         # 650 regulatory limits
│   └── healthcare_cleaning_products_voc.csv  # 5,000 products
├── engines/
│   ├── python/engine.py                  # Python (FastAPI)
│   ├── rust/src/main.rs                  # Rust
│   ├── java/src/.../VOCCalculator.java   # Java
│   ├── ruby/lib/healthcare_voc_compliance.rb  # Ruby
│   ├── elixir/lib/healthcare_voc.ex      # Elixir
│   ├── php/src/VOCCalculator.php         # PHP
│   └── go/main.go                        # Go
├── notebooks/
│   └── voc_compliance_analysis.ipynb     # Jupyter analysis notebook
├── pdfs/
│   └── generate_pdfs.py                  # PDF white paper generator
├── docs/                                 # Sphinx documentation
└── public/                               # PHP web frontend

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Maintained by Dave Cook — Binx Professional Cleaning, North Bay and Sudbury, Ontario.