off-gas

plural off-gases · plural off-gasses

1. countableuncountablebusinessGas produced as a side effect of a chemical reaction, sometimes hazardous.

present singular third person off-gases · present singular third person off-gasses · participle present off-gassing · participle past off-gassed · past off-gassed

1. To emit gases, especially noxious ones.

   Since solvent-based paints can off-gas for a long time as they dry, when trapped in a tightly sealed building they can contribute to an unhealthy cocktail of chemicals in the air.

   2004, Old-House Journal, page 86

   1 more example

   Moving along to consider @CZ662C’s even worse-looking CD fragments, and the tech detectives on X reckon this dramatic damage was caused by storage in a foam-padded case. Some foam padding materials, the story goes, will off-gas ammonia compounds.

   2026 August 15, Mark Tyson, “Catastrophic optical disc shattering blamed on cleaning chemicals and packing foam — another data preservation concern to add to bit rot and laser rot”, in Tom's Hardware

   Synonyms: outgas