Air cleaner Dustcontrol
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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Naphtalene found in the air of two classrooms
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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Carpets may contain toxins
Building biologist measures lightquality of a computer screen
The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus blocks messenger substances in the immune system
Iris Graustein (Germany) has been looking for months a residential building in the suburban area. Finally, the broker reports with a financially appropriate offer. After inspecting the property Iris is in doubt. Because at a distance of ten meters leads a power line with two conductors to garden and house over. The utility company tells the family that it is a 20 kilovolt line. Contradictory information about magnetic fields near power lines can be found on the Internet. Even the called building biologist can not provide remote diagnosis. On the one hand, a much lower current flow is to be expected with the 20 kV line than with a large 380 kV line; On the other hand, the cables are very close to the house. The building biologist advises a long-term measurement over 24 hours to obtain certainty about the magnitude of the magnetic field in the apartment.
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In mid-June 2018 press and television in Germany reported a request from the Left Party regarding a redevelopment concept for public buildings in the Saarland (Germany). The state government admitted that not all of these buildings had been systematically examined for PCB contamination. “The current building stock is not under general PCB suspicion,” says the state government and adds that there is no fundamental obligation for exploration PCB. “However, if refurbishment measures are planned for day care centers, precautionary measures will be carried out in the affected areas on the joints filled with PCBs”. Jochen Flackus, the parliamentary managing director of the Left Party, calls on the state government to develop a concept for the rehabilitation of PCB-contaminated buildings. Flackus points out that until around the 1980s, around 20,000 tons of PCB had been used as sealants in schools, kindergartens and other public buildings throughout Germany.
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Mold fungus aspergillus niger
An electric car is currently charging