People spend most of their lives indoors. Many building materials and materials show characteristic emissions, which means that they release substances into the indoor air. In order to avoid a harmful effect of these substances on health, products are continually further developed to meet the strict requirements of different statutory or normative regulations. We test all building and construction materials for emissions of VOC and VVOC (volatile and very volatile organic compounds), as well as formaldehyde, and are widely recognized as a test centre for this.
Emissions & indoor air quality
VOC and formaldehyde emissions are determined in standard climatic chambers at defined times. In addition to wood products (e.g. glued wood, furniture), we also test everyday objects and composite materials such as doors, building products (e.g. plasterboard, sealants, vapour retardants, adhesive tapes, glass, metal) and floors (parquet, laminate, vinyl, cork, carpet). We carry out indoor air measurements (e.g. living space, workplace, workshop, garage) in the field of tension between manufacturer obligation, ventilation quality, and human influence.
We have established many procedures and are accredited for the most important ones:
- Formaldehyde eqilibrium concentration, test chamber (EN 717-1)
- Formaldehyde emission, gas analysis (EN ISO 12460-3)
- Formaldehyde emission, desiccator (JAS SE9, JIS A 1460:2001)
- Formaldehyde content, perforator (EN ISO 12460-5)
- Short-chained Aldehydes and ketones, DNPH-method (ISO 16000-3)
- VOC-Sorption on Tenax TA®, TD-GC/MS and FID (ISO 16000-6)
- VOC test chamber (ISO 16000-9)
- FLEC-sampling (ISO 16000-10)
- Sample preparation (ISO 16000-11)
- Indoor air quality (ISO 16000-28)
- Formaldehyde and VOC emission (EN 16516)
Sorption and desorption
Gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, NOx, formaldehyde or VOC are bound to material surfaces and released again. Under controlled climatic conditions, we examine floors, furniture and loose products such as pellets, animal litter, bark, or chips.
Contact persons
Emissions and indoor air quality
Emissions and indoor air quality
Our services
Product evaluation
We carry out the result evaluation according to common schemes such as EU-LCI, AgBB, Blauer Engel, österreichisches Umweltzeichen, or baubook, and refer to EU-LCI values. We are also recognized as IKEA approved laboratory.
Indoor air as part of the biological building assessment
Building assessments such as LEED or BREAM often provide for high requirements for indoor air quality. We thus help to meet the highest building standards.
Indoor air within the scope of complaints
We help to identify the source of bad smells and harmful emissions. This enables targeted remedial measures to be derived and creates clarity in the legal dispute.
Museums and archives
There are particularly high requirements with regard to product emissions for showcases and other storage areas for cultural assets and historical objects. We examine such products according to the BEMMA scheme, but also exhibits and the indoor air for harmful substances.
Expert activity
We are a member of the interior working group of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) and external con-sultants for the SGDS (subgroup of dangerous substances) in the BMK and the environmental committee in the Fachverband der Holzindustrie in Austria. Furthermore, we are active in ASI Komitee ONK 254 (Assessment of release of dangerous substances from construction products).
Available infrastructure:
- Standard test chambers: inert, conditioned 0.225 m³ and 1 m³ chambers for formaldehyde and VOC emission analysis
- Gas analysis: Weiss Technik, accelerated formaldehyde emission measurement
- Perforator: Formaldehyde content based on toluene extraction
- Photometer: Dr. Lange
- TD-GC/MS/ECD/FID: Markes / Agilent, Gas chromatography with thermal desorption unit, mass spectrometer, electron capture detector, flame ionization detector
- TD-GC/MS/ECD/FID: Markes / Thermo Fisher Scientific, Gas chromatography with thermal desorption unit, mass spectrometer, electron capture detector, flame ionization detector, headspace autosampler
- HPLC/DAD: Thermo Fisher Scientific, High Performance Liquid Chromatographie with diode array detector
- IC/UV/CD: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Ion chromatography with UV and conductivity detector, organic acids
- FLEC: CHEMATEC, Field- and Laboratory Emission-Cell for the localization of emissions in an object, apartment, house, or construction site, as well as a miniature emission chamber in test setups
- Gas Cell: Tornado T5, IR detection of very volatile compounds such as CO, CO2, NH3
