Category Archives: indoor airpollution

indoor airpollution

Avoiding Paper Stacks in the Bedroom

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Avoid Paper Stacks in Bedroom Chemical Cocktail Necessary for Paper Production – Some printed materials have such a distinct smell that the idea of storing them in living areas doesn’t even come to mind. However, since humans are naturally collectors and hunters, paper stacks inevitably accumulate somewhere in the house. But who really knows what chemicals are still contained in these paper stacks and how long these substances can contaminate the indoor air? It is known that the amount and type of chemicals released can vary significantly, depending on the type of paper, the manufacturing processes used, and the conditions under which the paper is stored. High temperatures and high indoor humidity accelerate the release of chemicals from paper products during storage.
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If the eyes are burning – think of formaldehyde

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formaldehyde in an office

formaldehyde in an office

Sick in an office room

Six months ago Anne Hopf took up her new job in a public authority in North-Hesse/Germany. She is sitting in an office space of twenty square meters, together with a colleague. In the room are built-in wardrobes, shelves and many about seventy well-stocked folder. Four weeks ago Anne Hopf complains often of headaches and burning eyes. The colleague of Anne, however, has no complaints. The supervisor has addressed the matter and commissioned a building biologists for root cause analysis. Based on the described symptoms and the existing spatial features, the expert suggests an air sample in formaldehyde.
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Smelly tar glue under the wooden floor

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Smelly tar glue under the wooden floor

Renovation of an old apartment turns into a lottery game

Marlene Sandner (Germany) wanted to replace the worn wooden floor in her old apartment in the city center with a new parquet floor. To her surprise, demolition work revealed a smelly old linoleum floor underneath the floorboards, which was obviously glued to the screed. The adhesive was already crumbling and showing signs of dissolution. After the linoleum was removed, remnants of the adhesive remained stuck to the screed. The flooring installer suggested sealing the surface twice with epoxy resin and smoothing out any remaining unevenness with a leveling compound. The new parquet was then to be laid on top. Marlene Sandner is still hesitant and is therefore seeking advice from the environmental consultancy.
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Building biologist first looks at the floor structure

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Floor identified as source of pollutants

Floor identified as source of pollutants

How to find pollutants in the house

When looking for the source of pollutants in the indoor air, Oliver Zenkel always focuses on the floor first. The building biologist draws on several years of experience and also provides a simple reason. Although walls have the larger surface portion at a dwelling, but floors are usually multi-layered developed and thus substantially more susceptible for pollutant entries into the ambient air. Zenkel views flooring as a system in which not only the individual material plays a role, but also the interaction of the components.
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Residential toxins in old prefabricated house

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prefabricated house real estate check

prefabricated house real estate check

Building biologists are regularly asked for advice

Prefabricated houses from the seventies are part of the fixed portfolio of real estate agents. Mostly, the offers are tempting for young families. The most important plus points are considered to be a prime location, a relatively large plot of land, a good room layout and, ultimately, a favorable price. Too often, homebuyers suppress the problem of pollutants in older prefabricated houses. Even fifty years after completion, certain groups of pollutants have not yet been aired out.
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Using the ACI value to assess the radioactivity of building materials

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gamma rays in building materials

Gamma rays in building materials endanger health

The European Union (EU) has developed the Activity Concentration Index to assess radiation exposure

The large-scale installation of radioactive building materials indoors can endanger the health of the occupants. Granite, tuff or pumice are building materials with radioactive potential. However, sand, gravel, limestone and natural gypsum can also be radioactively contaminated under certain circumstances. The builder does not always know which rock is in a product. For example, a masonry block is offered under the brand name “Liapor”, without the buyer knowing that pumice rock is hidden behind it. The European Union has therefore developed the Activity Concentration Index (ACI) to assess radiation exposure from building materials indoors. The Institute for Building Biology in Rosenheim (Germany) recommends an ACI value of less than 0.75 for health protection.
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Boundary conditions for mobile room air cleaners

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Air cleaner Dustcontrol

Air cleaner Dustcontrol


Mobile air purifiers are booming in times of pandemics. Manufacturers of these devices outbid each other with superlatives. The German statutory accident insurance (DGUV) sees the use of the air recirculation units in a much more differentiated way. For example, the accident insurer points out important boundary conditions that must be observed when using the devices in classrooms.
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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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Tar cardboard containing PAH caused odor problems and headaches

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naphtalene found in the air of two classrooms

Naphtalene found in the air of two classrooms

Measurement results showed a pollution with naphthalene

In a primary school in Saxony (Germany), odor problems had arisen in two classrooms and in the staff room since the building was renovated. When a new rector took office in 2018, the matter really got going. Ms. Rubens (name changed) not only had a sensitive nose, but increasingly complained of a headache as soon as she was in the staff room. The school administration informed the city administration as the responsible cost bearer. The local building authority then commissioned an engineering office to investigate the indoor air. The measurement results showed a clear pollution of the room air with naphthalene. Since even the guideline II of the German Federal Environment Agency was exceeded with 20 µg / m³, no lessons were allowed to take place in the rooms from now on. A review of the construction plans showed that the school was built in 1964. Therefore, the experts consulted assumed that the building was contaminated. The energetic renovation in 2017 had obviously exacerbated the smell problem. The airtight facade and the lack of controlled ventilation ensured that the pollutants in the indoor air could accumulate more.
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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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