Fort McKay, Alberta is located near two large industrial facilities, with further development planned for the area. Sampling for selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was undertaken to gather baseline data, and examine factors influencing human exposure.

The study hypothesized that VOC levels: (1) are not significantly greater indoors than outdoors; (2) are not significantly greater in personal air than indoor air; and (3) are not significantly greater in winter than fall. Passive sampling of indoor, outdoor, and personal air was undertaken at 30 homes in Fort McKay.

Individual VOC concentrations ranged from undetectable to greater than 1000 μg/m3 . Wilcoxon signed rank tests indicated that VOC levels were much higher indoors than outdoors, and personal air levels were slightly higher than those found indoors. VOC levels were also higher in winter than fall. The results suggest that indoor sources and personal activities are dominant influences in determining exposure to VOCs.