Category Archives: healthy-home

story about healthy home and green building

A ranking of the most dangerous wood preservatives

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wood_preservatives als pcp, ddt, cresot, etc

Wood preservatives as pcp

Banned, but still found in homes

The Chemicals Prohibition Ordinance in Germany came into force in 1989. Since then, toxic wood preservatives may no longer be sold indoors. Nevertheless, property buyers still come across the subject of “wood preservatives” time and again. This is not surprising when you consider that most houses in Germany were built between 1950 and 1980 and are now once again attracting young buyers. Wood preservatives were used in particular for load-bearing components such as roof trusses and ceiling beams and are not immediately recognizable to home buyers. The following essay will take a closer look at the most dangerous representatives of chemical wood preservatives.
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Straw and clay get along well

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Architect Florian Hoppe presents the straw bale building

Architect Florian Hoppe presents the straw bale building

Architect Florian Hoppe knows his way around both building materials– He developed a relationship with clay at a very early age in his father’s company. He learned masonry and plastering by working on several construction sites in Thuringia/Germany. Through a cooperation of different companies it was even possible to use local clay. In the course of his architectural studies, Hoppe became enthusiastic about straw bale construction. One idea in particular from the settler days in America did not let him go: he wanted to realize the load-bearing straw bale without wooden stud construction in Germany as well. After careful preparation and with the support of his family, he was able to move into his spacious straw house ten years ago.
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Strong smell after sanding the floor

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strong odor form cresols

Renovating a house from the 1960s

A young family in Thuringia (Germany), full of enthusiasm, renovated a house from the 1960s. They wanted to keep the floorboards on the first floor and started sanding off the top layer. But after a short time the Stickler family was very sober. During the work it started to stink terribly. Ms. Stickler also worried about her child’s health. A building biologist should investigate the process to find the reason for the unpleasant smell. The expert sampled the room air using the TENAX method (2 liters of air at a volume flow of 100 milliliters per minute). As a precaution, he took a material sample from the flooring.
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Too many pollutants in the carpets

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Carpets may contain toxins

Carpets may contain toxins

People love their carpets – 1.8 million tonnes are sold in Europe year after year. This is also the second largest carpet market next to the USA. The market leader today is Tarkett in France, followed by the Balta Group from Belgium. The production of a carpet takes place in several production steps. Each of the work stages uses a wide range of chemicals. The toxins contained therein later exhale into the room air or they are inhaled by the inhabitants as dust particles. Toxic chemicals are also the main obstacle to environmentally sound disposal. That’s why 1.6 million tons land in the waste incineration plant every year.
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Avoid chronic insomnia

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avoid chronic insomnia

Seepless at night

Sleep disorders are about twenty percent of the reason to ask a building biologist for advice. This resulted in a recent survey among colleagues of German Baubiologie Regional. Takes the insomnia for more than three months, experts speak of a chronic disorder. Sufferers should at least then seek medical advice. Accompanying the medical treatment the building biologist examines physical, chemical or microbial abnormalities at the sleeping place.
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