indoor air hygiene

Even today, harmful formaldehyde from wood-based materials and other products is still offgassing into indoor air. Low-emission products are now more important than ever, as, for energy-conservation reasons, new and renovated buildings are more air-tight now than they used to be. The German Environment Agency (UBA) has achieved, that the test conditions have been adapted to the state of the art.

Wood-based materials and consequently also furniture and building products made from them may contain formaldehyde as an adhesive component. Formaldehyde is considered to be carcinogenic. We answer the most important questions from the perspective of indoor hygiene.

Refurbishing is fun and it beautifies the home. However, hazardous substances frequently lurk in building products - joint sealants, paints and varnishes. Building products which outgas volatile organic compounds (VOC) and odours can be harmful to the health and well-being of the people who reside inside. Healthy indoor air is therefore a very important issue.

Products used in construction contain many organic and inorganic substances. If they are released into the indoor air of buildings, or into the soil and groundwater, they can pose a risk to the environment and human health. Sofar these inputs of contaminants from building products have been quantified only sporadically.

The AIR sets indoor air guide values, hygienic guide values and risk-related and preliminary guide values for health-based assessment of indoor air.

Experts from federal and other authorities, from universities and other research institutes give advice to the Federal Environment Agency in commissions and working groups. Recommended actions are worked out after intensive discussion.
Otherwise the Federal Environment Agency provides advice to working groups of federal government and German federal states as well as to the WHO.

People in developed countries spend the majority of their lives indoors, on average about two thirds in their home. However, the quality of indoor air is not always beneficial to human health.

UBA`s Indoor Air Hygiene Commission (IRK) develops recommendations and statements on various issues and problems with biological and chemical substances in the air indoors.