Pollutants by construction year: what is in which building

Every building era has its typical pollutants. Anyone who knows when a building was erected can estimate quite well what might be inside it, and have it checked in a targeted way instead of analysing everything on suspicion. One exception is radon: it depends on the geology of the subsurface, not on the construction year, and must therefore be considered in every era. The rest follows time. Here is the overview, from the Gründerzeit to the new build.

Before 1945: Gründerzeit, Art Nouveau, interwar period

• Lead: lead white, red lead and lead chromate in paints on windows, doors, radiators and window sills, often in several layers on top of one another. (→ Lead in old buildings)
• Tar products (PAH): tar-containing seals in basements and on foundations. (→ PAH in old buildings)
• Wood preservatives: in part already older agents, especially with visible half-timbering. (→ Wood preservatives)

Typical: high lead burden, many paint layers. Asbestos still rare.

1945 to 1960: reconstruction

• Asbestos: appears as a building material, for example as Eternit sheets on the roof and the first pipe wrappings. (→ Recognising asbestos)
• PAH adhesive: black, tar-like parquet adhesive, a classic of these years. (→ PAH in old buildings)
• Lead pipes: still installed as drinking-water pipes. (→ Lead in old buildings)

Typical: simple, fast construction, asbestos roof, but still less pollutant variety than afterwards.

1960 to 1980: the peak phase

In this era pollutants stack up. In a building of the early 1970s, several at once are no rarity.

• Asbestos: built in in many forms, on roof (Eternit) and facade, in floor coverings, pipe insulation and night-storage heaters. (→ Recognising asbestos)
• PAH: black parquet adhesive, roofing felt, seals. (→ PAH in old buildings)
• PCB: permanently elastic joint sealants in concrete and panel buildings. (→ PCB in sealants)
• Lead: last generation of lead pipes, installed into the early 1970s. (→ Lead in old buildings)
• Wood preservatives: PCP and lindane in roof structures, coated over the surface or dipped. (→ Wood preservatives)
• MMF: older, biopersistent mineral wool in roof and facade insulation. (→ MMF)

Typical: several pollutants at once. Anyone renovating here should clarify systematically beforehand what is built in.

1980 to 1995: transition

The bans take hold step by step. Asbestos is banned in Austria in manufacture in 1990, the prohibition on placing asbestos-cement products on the market follows in 1994.

• Asbestos: late products, rarer but present, especially in roof sheets, facades and pipes. (→ Recognising asbestos)
• MMF: old, biopersistent mineral wool until about 2000, after which it was replaced by biosoluble fibres. (→ MMF)
• Wood preservatives: last PCP and lindane applications before the PCP ban in 1990 and the end of lindane approval in the early 1990s. (→ Wood preservatives)

Typical: often only one or two pollutants, but old MMF in almost every insulation.

After 1995: new build

The classic old-building pollutants have disappeared. Instead, other themes appear.

• VOC and formaldehyde: volatile compounds from paints, adhesives, floor coverings and furniture, especially in the first weeks and months after renovation or moving in. (→ VOC after renovation)
• Radon: relevant in new builds too, depending on the subsurface. In designated radon protection areas, protective measures are foreseen for new buildings, but they only work if they are executed properly. (→ Radon in Austria)

Typical: fewer legacies, but VOC themes with unfavourable material choice or poor ventilation.

What this means in practice

The construction year is not a finding, but a good compass: it says what is worth looking for. Certainty comes only from examining the actual material, because whether an Eternit roof contains asbestos or a parquet adhesive contains PAH can only be guessed from the age, not proven. The older a building, the more potential pollutants, but also the better researched the risks. Buildings of the 1960s to 1980s deserve special attention, since the most accumulates in them. Before a renovation or a purchase it is therefore worth taking a targeted look at the likely pollutants of the respective construction era, before anything is torn open.

Sources

• The substance- and era-specific details are documented in the linked individual guides (asbestos, PAH, PCB, lead, MMF, wood preservatives, VOC, radon).
• Key dates: Asbestos Ordinance 1990 (BGBl. No. 324/1990), ban on placing asbestos cement on the market from 1994; PCP banned in Austria since 1990; PCB banned since 1993 (BGBl. No. 210/1993).