Projects in research area Human Health and Consumer Protection

Wood is a popular and versatile building material, but time-dependent volatile substances such as terpenes and aldehydes are released from wood and wood products.

Changes in the legal situation and the emergence of new materials require valid information on biological resistance in order to optimally use wood and wood products according to their durability

Special editing office for Wooden building products in the Ecological building material information system WECOBIS in the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development

Due to the influence of climate change, the growing conditions of trees in Germany and Europe will change. Consequently, the technological properties of wood will change with challenges for downstream industries. To ensure the most efficient use of wood as a resource, we are investigating the relationships between environmental factors and wood properties.

The transcontinental export of roundwood requires phytosanitary treatment to prevent the spread of harmful organisms. Currently, fumigation with sulphuryldifluoride (SF) is usually used for this purpose. Current practice is to release the gas into the atmosphere after treatment. The problem here is that SF - in addition to the greenhouse gases listed in the Climate Protection Law (Klimaschutzgesetz, KSG) - is considered to have a strong impact on the climate. And it has a warming potential around 4800 times greater than carbon dioxide. In view of the continuous release of SF and its real effect as a greenhouse gas, a changeover to more climate-friendly chemicals or alternative treatment methods with a favourable ecological balance would be desirable. This is particularly true against the background of the sharp increase in exports of calamity wood in recent years, which was associated with a sharp increase in the consumption of SF.

Which communities of wood decaying organisms are imported together with timber from Africa, how do they differ from communities that occur on native wood and what potential damage could be caused by imported fungi and bacteria to native wood and trees, if they become established here especially when taking into account future climate change?

The Thünen Institute of Wood Research and the Institute of Wood Sciences at the University of Hamburg are developing a climate cell for nano-tomography to better understand the behavior of biological samples in response to changes in humidity and temperature

Building constructions have to be inspected for their safety. This also applies to structural parts that are below the water surface. To date, however, no suitable measuring instruments exist for wooden components in this environment. This is to change with this project.

In the production of wood-based composite materials formaldehyd containing binders are still state of the art. While formaldehyd emissions have been drastically reduced the search for low-priced formaldehyd-free binders is still ongoing.

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Wood-based materials are predominantly produced with formaldehyde-based adhesives. This group of adhesives are potential hazardous to health due to the recent risk assessment of formaldehyde (class 1B, likely to be carcinogenic to humans). Therefore, formaldehyde-free binder alternatives are evaluated, developed and tested in our institute.

Formaldehyde is a component in many adhesives of wood-based products, but natural wood also emits formaldehyde in small amounts - as do almost all organic materials. Formaldehyde is considered a carcinogenic substance.

Individual case studies on health impairments of residents of timber houses and corresponding press releases suggest a harmful effect of wood emissions. This contributes to insecurity among the population.

Marine organisms like shipworm can destroy wood used in sea water whereas fungi can degrade this timber above sea water level. Thünen-Institute will investigate these wood pests in order to develop long lasting non-biocidal protection measures.

Rapid test methods for VOC emissions are required for quality control and material development . Standardized test methods first deliver test results after 28 days. Therefore this project will develop a rapid test method within this project.

Wood products emit volatile organic compounds (VOC) in different compositions and amounts. This project aims to develop an objective process that allows clear conclusions about the impact of VOC emissions of different building products on indoor air quality in real installation situations.