Indoor air quality has become a topic of great concern. Burning incense has recently been identified as one of the primary sources of volatile organic compounds, specifically benzene, in an indoor setting. The current paper aims to evaluate volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, particularly benzene, within indoor environments through the utilization of an experimental clean room. Experimental findings showed that 10 types of incense sticks emitted benzene in concentrations between 11.1 and 66.5 μg m⁻³, which were 2.5 lower than the limit suggested for non-occupation indoor exposure (160 μg m⁻³), identified by the American Association of Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Furthermore, a correlation between the dimensions (diameter and length) of the combustible parts in an incense stick was investigated and indicated a slight influence on the release of benzene. Taking into consideration the substantial influence benzene has on human health, coupled with a lack of precise legislation regarding indoor air quality in residential settings, this research serves as an initial investigation into the noteworthy effects of burning incense in private and public indoor settings.

Different plastic toys are on sale in the Italian market: they are sold as souvenirs and/or as toys. Such statuettes, called Gongoli, represent a famous character (a soccer player, a politician, the Pope, etc.). In particular, these products are widely sold, but the material composition is not sufficiently defined. Further, the effect of the release of dangerous compounds on human health is not sufficiently documented. Following this hypothesis, a study on eight different statuettes was carried out both for evaluating the possible presence of heavy metals and for evidencing their release from these objects. Preliminary analysis by means of EDS spectroscopy highlighted the percentage chemical composition of different products, especially the presence of total Cr and Ni. Release tests evidenced the release of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb: Pb reached 74 mg kg⁻¹, which is an interesting value even if it is lower than reported in the legislation. This study should be considered preliminary due to its limitations, such as the number of items investigated and the large variability found for some elements, but it highlights a serious problem related to the classification of these products which are marketed as souvenirs but manipulated by children.

Air pollution and the increasing production of greenhouse gases has prompted greater use of renewable energy sources; the EU has set a target that the use of green energy should be at 32 percent by 2030. With this in mind, in the last 10 years, the demand for pellets in Italy has more than doubled, making Italy the second largest consumer in Europe. The quality of the pellets burned in stoves is crucial to indoor and outdoor pollution. Among other parameters, moisture and ash are used to classify pellets according to EN ISO 17225:2014. This work involved the analysis of the organic and inorganic fraction of both some finished products on the Italian market and some raw materials (e.g., wood chips) sampled according to the technical standard EN 14778:2011. The analytical results showed the presence of some substances potentially harmful to human health such as formaldehyde, acetone, toluene and styrene for the organic fraction and nickel, lead and vanadium for the inorganic fraction. The chemometric approach showed that it is the inorganic fraction which is most responsible for the diversification of the samples under study. The detection of some substances may be a warning bell about the impact of such materials, both for the environment and for human health.

Air pollution and the increasing production of greenhouse gases has prompted greater use of renewable energy sources; the EU has set the use of green energy at 32 percent by 2030. With this in mind, in the last 10 years the demand for pellets in Italy has more than doubled making Italy the second largest consumer in Europe. The quality of the pellets burned in stoves is crucial to indoor and outdoor pollution. Among other parameters, moisture and ash are used to classify pellets according to EN ISO 17225:2014. This work involved the analysis of the organic and inorganic fraction of both some finished products on the Italian market and some raw materials (e.g., wood chips) sampled according to the technical standard EN 14778:2011. The analytical results showed the presence of some substances potentially harmful to human health such as formaldehyde, acetone, toluene and styrene for the organic fraction and nickel, lead and vanadium for the inorganic fraction. The chemometric approach showed that it is the inorganic fraction which is most responsible for the diversification of the samples under study. The detection of some substances may be a warning bell about the impact of such materials both for the environment and for the human health.