Adhesives containing PAHs in old parquet floors

Pollutants from PAHs-containingadhesives in parquet flooring can be released into the indoor air through wear and tear or during parquet work and settle in house dust. PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are carcinogenic pollutants that are particularly dangerous to health. Parquet floors are considered to be allergy-friendly, as they are generally easy to clean and do not absorb dust. New parquet floors are no longer laid with adhesives containing PAHs, but with substitutes that are harmless to health.



PAHs – Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

PAHS (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are organic components and a collective term for several hundred individual compounds of condensed aromatic hydrocarbons.

The main representative of PAHs for health-influencing effects is the substance benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). This substance is used for the analytical determination as well as for a toxicological assessment of PAHs . Limit values exist for PAHs . These signal the critical value at which PAHs can be assumed to cause illness .



Parquet adhesives containing tar until the end of the 60s

Until around the end of the 1960s, tar adhesives were used to apply parquet flooring. These contained the PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). They are proven to be carcinogenic. PAHs can be released particularly quickly during mechanical parquet work. Until around 1969, very high PAHs concentrations of 20,000 mg PAHs/kg and more were detected in analyses of parquet adhesives containing tar. These contained the raw materials coal tar pitch or coal tar. They were ideal for bonding work. They were easy to process and could be applied in thin layers to the floors. The tar-containing parquet adhesives underneath the parquet had the distinctive black color. However, the black color of the PAHs-containing adhesives is not a clear indication of the tar-containing parquet adhesives used. In addition to the commonly used PAHs-containing parquet adhesives, bituminous adhesives were also used until the end of the 1960s. bituminous adhesives were also used. However, these only had a low PAHs content and were less harmful and also had a black color.


Naphthalene in parquet adhesives containing tar

Naphthalene in parquet adhesives made from coal tar is considered to be particularly hazardous to health.

Naphthalene is one of the PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). For naphthalene and its naphthalene-like compounds there are guideline values from the Committee for Indoor Guide Values of the Federal Environment Agency. The parquet adhesives containing tar often had a guideline value of 1 (precautionary value) and are considered to be particularly contaminated. Naphthalene is often used in tar-containing floors and is easily recognizable by its “mothball-like” smell. In European hazardous substances legislation naphthalene is classified as a suspected carcinogen. Naphthalene is particularly dangerous if it can accumulate in house dust over a long period of time. There is a higher health risk for small children who have a lot of contact with contaminated parquet floors due to crawling and playing close to the floor.

In recent years, adhesives containing tar and PAHs, which are harmful to health, have increasingly been replaced by substitutes without PAHs.


Synthetic resin as a substitute for adhesives containing PAHs

Since the mid-1970s, adhesives containing PAHs have been replaced by synthetic resin adhesives. The polymer-based synthetic resin adhesives are considered to be technically equivalent substitutes and no longer contain PAHs.

Increased risk of PAHs being released from old parquet floors

The first signs of increased PAHs contamination from PAHs-containing adhesives can often be seen in parts.

Parquet damage – examples:

  • Open joints – the joints between the parquet strips are larger than 2 mm
  • Parquet is loose completely or at the edges and partial areas
  • the subfloor is not intact, e.g. there are hollow spots or the parquet is springy
  • Embrittlement of the adhesives

Mechanical work – examples:

  • Demolition and grinding work (should only be carried out by specialist companies)
  • for activities for the remediation of building pollutants
  • Conversion, demolition and modernization of buildings

When cleaning up and working in contaminated areas, the rules of TRGS 524 and TRGS 440 for occupational health and safety must be observed.


GSA measuring devices PM4-2 for precise PAHs measurements

With the GSA measuring devices Gravikon PM 4-2 (license IFA), even low concentrations of organic components such as PAHs and PCBs in indoor air can be easily measured in accordance with VDI 2463 sheet 7. The application for PAHs measurements is possible with the use of a special software sampling head.

The measuring devices PM 4-2 is well suited for sampling PAHs in very low concentrations. This is made possible by a regulated and high air flow rate of 2.76 m³/h. The device can easily carry out personal samplers via battery operation, completely independent of a network, which only takes a few hours.

The GSA measuring devices Gravikon PM 4-2 is well equipped to display the sampling process. Powerful LEDs clearly indicate the operating status of the device during sampling. The desired measuring time can also be easily set using the device’s membrane keypad. In addition, the Gravikon PM 4-2 has the option of automatic switch-off. The device switches off when the sampling collection time has been reached.

Sources:

Image source: 123rf.com © photovs image no. 118925588

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www.vis.bayern.de/produkte_energie/gefahrstoffe/pak.htm