The Post-War Period: Built Pragmatically
After the Second World War, Austria needed to build quickly and cheaply. Material shortages led to creative solutions and to the use of new industrial building materials whose health risks were only partly described at the time; mesothelioma, for instance, was first described as a distinct asbestos-related disease in 1960. At the same time, many older buildings were renovated using new materials.
This construction era marks the transition: the old problems (lead) are still present, and the new ones (asbestos, wood preservatives) are beginning. The pollutant profile is correspondingly varied.
Typical Pollutants in Post-War Buildings
Asbestos
The post-war period marks the beginning of mass asbestos use in Austria. Fibre-cement panels on roofs, pipe lagging and the first asbestos-containing plasters and fillers came onto the market.
Asbestos Testing →Lead
Lead pipes were still occasionally installed in the 1950s. Lead-based paints (white lead, lead minium) remained standard for windows, doors and radiators.
Lead Testing →PAH (Tar products)
Black tar-based parquet adhesive was common in these years too; until the end of the 1960s, parquet was often glued with coal-tar pitch. Roofing membranes and tar-based bitumen coatings frequently contain carcinogenic PAH.
PAH Analysis →Wood preservatives
The 1950s saw the beginning of widespread use of PCP- and lindane-containing wood preservatives. Roof structures from this period were frequently treated, in some cases preventively during construction, in others retrospectively in the following decades.
When is a pollutant check necessary?
- Before purchase: Post-war buildings can present a broad range of pollutants, a pollutant check provides clarity before making a purchase decision
- Before renovation: When removing floor coverings, plaster or roof cladding, pollutants can be released
- When converting a loft: Check wood preservatives in the roof structure before the attic becomes living space
- With old water pipes: Water sample (from €22.50 per element) and if needed material sample (from €52.80 for the first element) for lead, especially if young children live in the household
Frequently Asked Questions About Post-War Buildings
Post-war buildings frequently contain early asbestos products (fibre cement, pipe lagging), PAH in black adhesives and roofing membranes, and wood preservatives in treated roof structures (applied during construction or retrospectively); lead pipes were still installed in some cases, and lead paints remained standard.
Yes. Asbestos had been processed in Austria since around 1900 (asbestos cement from Vöcklabruck), but mass use in construction came with the post-war decades: fibre-cement panels, pipe lagging and the first asbestos-containing plasters were installed on a large scale from the 1950s onwards. An investigation before renovation is advisable.
Lead pipes were still partially installed in the 1950s, though increasingly replaced by copper and steel pipes. A water sample (from €22.50 for Pb), analysed in an accredited laboratory, shows whether lead actually reaches your drinking water.
The site-inspection flat fee is €290 (up to 150 m², larger floor areas priced in bands), plus analysis costs per sample, e.g. asbestos from €75.60, lead in water from €22.50 per element. Situational analyses (PAH, wood preservatives) by quote. In a free initial consultation, we discuss which analyses make sense.
Pollutant check from €290
In post-war buildings from 1945 to 1960, we frequently encounter early asbestos use and PAH-containing adhesives, and in some cases lead pipes. A site inspection with sampling from €290 plus analyses clarifies what is in your building before work begins.
After remediation, we offer a clearance measurement to document the release recommendation. Pollutants by construction era →