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Indoor air quality is influenced by factors such as the building design, construction materials, furniture, cleaning and ventilation, as well as by the people who spend time there.
Mould growth indoors is unacceptable for hygienic reasons. It can be harmful to health. You can find more information on this in our leaflet (pdf, 237.8 KB) Mould growth in schools.
Mould only develops when there is excessive moisture in or on materials. The cause of the increased moisture must therefore always be identified in order to prevent mould from forming again. You can find more information on mould and moisture here.
Mold infestation should always be removed promptly and professionally, especially in common rooms. In addition, the cause of the moisture that led to mold growth must be identified and eliminated.
Please contact the management of your facility or the person responsible for building maintenance. If you have any questions or if mold removal and clarification of the cause are not progressing, please do not hesitate to contact us.
CO2 is released into the air when we breathe. In rooms with lots of people, the CO2 concentration can rise quickly. This value is also used as an indicator of air quality in rooms with lots of people. It represents all substances released into the air by humans. High CO2 concentrations can cause health problems such as headaches, dizziness, infections, poor concentration and fatigue. CO2 concentrations are often too high in nurseries and schools, especially in winter.
You can borrow CO2 measuring devices for your facility free of charge from the Bremen Health Authority and check the air quality in your school or nursery yourself.
Regular ventilation is very important unless a ventilation system provides the necessary air exchange.
You can find out exactly how to ventilate here:
Fine dust is tiny particles in the air that can penetrate the lungs. Concentrations of these particles are often significantly higher in the indoor air of daycare centres and schools than in the outdoor air. However, the composition of fine dust in indoor air differs from that in outdoor air. Therefore, the health effects of fine dust in outdoor air cannot simply be transferred to indoor air. In schools, it often comes from textiles, skin flakes or chalk. It is important to keep fine dust pollution as low as possible, regardless of the source.
We recommend sufficiently large clean-walk areas at the entrances to buildings. Cleaning should be dust-binding (moist cleaning if possible, mopping instead of sweeping and vacuuming with HEPA filters). It is also important to ventilate nursery and school rooms regularly. See also: Ventilation recommendations for communal rooms (pdf, 85.3 KB).
Artificial mineral fibres such as glass wool or rock wool are often used for insulation or to improve room acoustics. Since 2000, only non-carcinogenic mineral wool products may be used. Increased protective measures must be observed when working with older products. Further information is available in the report by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment.
PCBs were used in many building materials in the 1960s and 1970s. They can be harmful to health. In Bremen, daycare centres, schools and sports halls, among other places, were tested for PCBs and remediated where necessary. Further information on PCBs is available on the Bavarian consumer portal.
VOCs are substances that can be released into the air from building materials, furniture or cleaning products. They can cause odour pollution and health problems such as headaches, mucous membrane irritation or dizziness. Information on guideline and reference values for VOCs can be found at the Federal Environment Agency – Committee for Indoor Air Quality.
Rooms should not be too hot or too cold. Sun protection is important to protect against summer heat. This should be installed outside if possible. It is also effective to ventilate rooms at night to cool them down. You can find more information on heat and health here.
Good room acoustics are important for speech to be understood clearly. Poor room acoustics also increase noise pollution. This can lead to health problems. People with hearing impairments or a different native language have higher acoustic requirements.
Further information on acoustics:
Ambient noise comes from outside, for example from road or air traffic. It can be harmful to health. In schools and daycare centres, it affects break areas and outdoor play areas, but also the buildings themselves. General information on noise can be found here: Noise.
Our assessments, recommendations and requirements regarding environmental noise can be found here: