The aim of the criterion is to ensure that indoor air is of sufficient quality not to adversely affect users’ health and well-being. To this end, it is particularly important to establish hygiene, to reduce the concentration of harmful substances, and to prevent unpleasant smells.
TVOC concentrations exceeding 3.000 µg/m³, formaldehyde concentrations exceeding 120 µg/m³, or the transgression of Guide value 2 (defined by the German Environment Ministry’ Ad-hoc Working Group for Indoor Air Guide Values) endanger hygiene of rooms in dwellings, offices or teaching rooms used by the same persons for several hours. For this reason, buildings with these high pollution levels are excluded from certification.
In rooms where occupants stay only for few hours and change on a continuous basis (e.g. sales rooms, film screening rooms) , appropriate methods must be applied to reduce the above mentioned danger to hygiene to the lowest possible level. Buildings presenting an identifiable risk to health must be excluded from certification. Rooms where surrounding building components present only a limited threat and rooms which are not used on a continuous basis (e.g. large sheds or warehouses) present a limited risk to health. The objective is for building materials and methods in rooms of this type to present only limited pollution levels