Institute for Infection Prevention and Control

A myriad of volatile and non-volatile organic compounds (VOC and NVOC) emitted from building materials, furniture and fittings are present in the air of private, public and other non-industrial buildings, including schools, kindergartens, homes, assembly rooms and even in the interior of automobiles and airplanes. Everyday cooking and heating, cigarette smoke, mould and cleaning agents, DIY products or polluted outdoor air also contribute to poor indoor air quality. However, it is only in recent years that the question of indoor immission load has received greater attention, not least because comparative studies show that exposure to indoor pollutants in non-commercially/industrially used buildings can by all means impact adversely on health and well-being. In this context, it is worth mentioning sick building syndrome (SBS), which is a term covering a range of unspecific symptoms such as itchy eyes, headache, fatigue thought to be triggered when the sufferer spends time in a particular (often air-conditioned) building.

Focus and Specialisation:

To assess the physical, chemical and biological factors influencing indoor air quality we offer a complete set of sampling and analytical methods.

• Identification and quantification of VOC and SVOC
• Measurement of particles and dust mass concentrations
• Determination of fine and ultra fine particle number and mass concentrations
• Determination of total aerial mycotic and bacterial counts
• Determination of the toxicity of airborne materials on human lung cell lines