Former sins in the prefab house

I know that my parents painted a lot with Xyladecor in their then new building (70s solid construction). I was aware that the product (as toxic as it was back then) was discontinued, but my mother was still able to organize some canisters somewhere. I think the problem basically arises when you now start to convert attics and sand the rafters. Also, incorrect additional insulation when renovating these prefabricated houses may possibly prevent the toxic or harmful gases from leaving the house.

The same applies to asbestos: as long as you don't touch it, the fibers are not released and cannot reach the respiratory tract.

Not everyone exposed to these pollutants has to become ill. However, I have heard in earlier times how some sick children in these houses became a TV topic because asthma and rashes, among other things, could not be explained.

Regards, Yvonne

can you please explain to me and others why a company like Okal Haus is not allowed to be called a construction company or why it isn’t one?

One is allowed to do that. However, the reader usually associates "construction company" with a solid construction contractor who has a broader range of building materials to choose from. Prefabricated house builders at least back then only followed a single recipe. In this respect, the connection "same construction year, same stuff" is more firmly linked. Although is of course right, 1) that freely available pollutants were also quite popular for retrofitting and 2) Okal Haus, due to its market share, would have had to become notorious if they had established themselves as particularly active pollution emitters. And as you also correctly point out, pollutant contamination is often only evaluated through forced release.

A house of the same age from the same manufacturer can therefore quite possibly only contain peacefully dormant pollutants, emit these at lower levels, and also be inhabited by less sensitive people (or they are ill because of it, but unaware of this connection).

Oops, made several sentences again.