The website is publicly accessible in German and English. The information on offer can be used by interested members of the public as well as by planners and operators of private and public facilities open to the public.
The topic of "indoor air quality" has been a high priority both nationally and internationally for many years. Recently, the focus of interest in Europe has been on new materials, products and construction methods, their impact on indoor air quality and possible health effects. The investigation of interactions between health and indoor living spaces has become increasingly important due to current political and scientific developments.
According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), inadequate living conditions are responsible for physical illnesses. Heat- and cold-related illnesses and deaths can be prevented by improving the thermal insulation of buildings. Asthma, allergies and respiratory diseases can be reduced by renovating damp and moldy rooms and adopting appropriate ventilation habits, and radon-related lung cancer can be reduced through structural measures and ventilation.
There is still a major lack of information regarding the connection between modern construction methods and the concentration of indoor pollutants as well as the interaction between living behavior and health. This essentially affects not only planners and operators of buildings, but also parties in the administrative environment. The WHO and the German Environment Agency have published indoor guideline values for a large number of individual substances and extensive publications on the health assessment of air-polluting substances. However, these are essentially only helpful for experts. In addition, the information provided by other organizations for consumers is often too simple and therefore of limited use. As a result, there has been a recognized need to create a new information platform that provides a general overview while also offering detailed insights into specific topics for interested users.
