Rigidur H Activ Air Rigidur H Activ Air For room to breathe
There s something in the air It s no wonder that we so often feel the need for fresh air. After all, we spend 80% of our time in enclosed spaces at work or within our own four walls. Even children, teenagers and young people spend on average around half their time in kindergartens, schools, colleges and universities. For this reason, clean, pollutant-free indoor air should be something we can take for granted. The reality is unfortunately often rather different. Impurities can be found in the air in both our working and living spaces. Long-term exposure to these pollutants which are invisible to the naked eye such as formaldehyde, which is carcinogenic in high concentrations, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), can cause health problems and reduce general well-being. They are even suspected of being able to cause serious illnesses above a certain volume. These VOCs can be emitted by furniture, carpets and other floor coverings, other fittings and construction products (e.g. chipboards, impregnated wooden materials, paints and varnishes). Even pesticides can find their way into indoor air via these items/materials. 2
Sick building syndrome For years scientists have observed the phenomenon of people feeling ill after extended periods of time at their workplace. In most cases, those affected have suffered non-specific complaints, i.e. symptoms which cannot be directly linked to a particular illness: e.g. watery eyes, inflamed mucous membranes or itchy skin. The complaints usually vanish when these same people spend time elsewhere. Experts use the term sick building syndrome (SBS) to refer to these non-specific afflictions the state of feeling ill while being in a building that makes you sick. Source: Federal Environment Agency What complaints can be caused by poor indoor air? People often complain of the following after extended periods of time spent in enclosed spaces: Lack of concentration Rapid fatigue Eye irritation Breathing problems Headaches Nausea Allergies Sick building syndrome The potential causes of these complaints should be avoided. This makes an indoor climate free of pollutants and the use of construction materials which enable healthy living and working all the more important. The specially developed Rigidur H Activ Air gypsum fibre boards with air-purifying Activ Air technology offer the ideal way to realize these conditions and avoid health risks. 3
Rigidur H Activ Air: Technology that lets you breathe Rigidur H Activ Air doesn t just look good! The Rigidur H Activ Air gypsum fibre board has been proven to promote cleaner air as it removes 100% of formaldehyde from indoor air (according to the test report) also almost completely removes many other pollutants from indoor air which occur in the form of VOCs (see table below) Rigidur H Activ Air converts pollutants in the air into inert components. Rigidur H Activ Air contains an active air complex which is highly effective against VOCs while also absorbing a range of other household toxins: Rigidur H Activ Air significantly reduces heavy VOCs such as benzaldehyde which can become concentrated in living spaces due to their stability Rigidur H Activ Air significantly reduces so-called aromatic chemistry substances such as 1,4-Dichlorbenzene a base material found e.g. in insecticides Rigidur H Activ Air Pollutants Conversion into inert (inactive) substances A special active agent has been added to Rigidur H Activ Air specifically for drywall construction applications. A very low concentration of the product (1 g per kg) is added to the Rigidur boards and does not alter their characteristic properties. It is highly effective at absorbing and converting pollutants into inert compounds, thereby ensuring a sustainable reduction in pollutants without any risk of re-emission. Independent tests prove its effectiveness! The effectiveness of Rigidur H Activ Air has been proven by two independent testing institutes. The ECO Institute in Cologne tested the air-purifying effect of Rigidur H Activ Air on the basis of twelve different pollutants and the reduction in the levels thereof within a period of 72 hours. The decay curve for formaldehyde illustrates the reduction in pollutant concentrations in indoor air in contact with Rigidur H Activ Air. % 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Reduction in formaldehyde concentration in indoor air in contact with Rigidur H Activ Air. (Initial concentration: 1 mg/m³ indoor air) 1 4 24 48 72 hours (www.eco-institut.de) Pollutant Percentage reduction in indoor air* Methanal (formaldehyde) 100 % Acetaldehyde 99.5 % 2-propenal 100 % Propanal 99.3 % 2-Butenal 100 % 2-Methyl-2-propenal 88.2 % 2-Butanone 82.2 % Butanal 100 % 2-Pentenal 100 % Pentanal 100 % 2-Hexenal 100 % Hexanal 100 % *ECO Institute test results after 72 hours. 4
For many products with an air-purifying effect, demonstration of this effect is usually limited to the pollutants listed in the table. In order to test its effectiveness against further air pollutants, the air-purifying effect of Rigidur H Activ Air was also tested with two further sample substances: Benzaldehyde This air pollutant is representative of highly volatile substances (boiling point at 179 C). They are often not rated in other construction products with a purifying effect on indoor air. According to the ECO Institute test report, there was a 99.3% reduction in this pollutant after 72 hours. (Initial concentration: 1 mg/m³ indoor air). 1,4-Dichlorobenzene This pollutant is used e.g. as a product in the manufacture of pesticides. According to the ECO Institute test report, there was an 85% reduction in this pollutant after 72 hours. (Initial concentration: 100 µg/m³ indoor air). These types of pollutants impact air quality and can cause a wide variety of symptoms from a latent malaise through to serious diseases (sick building syndrome, see page 3). The ECO Institute in Cologne certifies the outstanding effectiveness of Rigidur H Activ Air in its test report 21715. In addition to the investigation by the ECO Institute, a further investigation focused on the effectiveness of Rigidur H Activ Air against constant emissions of pollutants into indoor air in high concentrations. Measured pollutant concentration 100 80 60 40 20 0 Effectiveness of Rigidur H Activ Air against a constant flow of pollutants % Constant flow of air containing pollutants (50 µg/m 3 ) Reduction in aldehydes with conventional plasterboards with an air-purifying effect Greater than 80% reduction in aldehydes with Rigidur H Activ Air days 1 2 3 Installing the board in the test room 4 5 6 (www.eurofins.com) The EUROFINS laboratory in Denmark tested the air-purifying effect of Rigidur H Activ Air against consistently high emissions of pollutants into the surrounding ambient air and thereby the effectiveness of the construction material in reducing pollutant levels (performance). The adjacent fig. shows that Rigidur H Activ Air performs significantly better than conventional gypsum fibre boards with no Activ Air active complex and even permanently reduces the concentration of pollutants emitted on an ongoing basis by more than 80%. How long does the Rigidur H Activ Air purifying effect last? Research and development departments have calculated in simulations that the material is effective for 50 years. 5
Rigidur H Activ Air: A refreshingly large number of advantages Rigidur H Activ Air can do even more! Rigidur H Activ Air gypsum fibreboards are not only characterized by their proven air cleaning power, they also offer a range of quality features which make them a particularly versatile drywall construction solution. These include their non-combustible classification, hard surface, robustness and wide range of application areas. Healthy Rigidur H Activ Air is predestined for use in healthy construction thanks to its active conversion of pollutants into clean indoor air. It has also been classified as a building material tested and recommended by the IBR by the Institute for Building Biology ( Institut für Baubiologie IBR) which also makes it an ideal product for a healthy indoor climate in residential and working areas. Hard Rigidur H Activ Air boards have hard surfaces and are therefore resistant to everyday mechanical stresses such as knocks and scratches. Stable Virtually no other drywall construction material is as stable as Rigidur. Public buildings in particular require extremely high levels of stability. Shelves or cupboards can also be fixed directly to the wall without special wall plugs. Rigidur H Activ Air boards can even be used as structural supporting elements in timber frame construction. Flexible Flexible Rigidur H Activ Air sizes ensure problem-free adjustment to non-standard room heights or application areas. Standard and special sizes are available. Smooth The extremely smooth and unbroken surface of Rigidur H Activ Air corresponds to quality level Q3 without protruding fibres or grinding marks. This makes the board ideal for extremely high-quality follow-up coatings without the need for further surface treatment. IBR seal of approval This seal of approval identifies products which enable healthy living while protecting the environment. The Institute for Building Biology in Rosenheim ( Institut für Baubiologie IBR) has already awarded this seal of approval to numerous Rigips products in the last 15 years. The Institute recommends the entire Rigidur gypsum fibre board range, the VARIO joint filler which is used with joint filling techniques and the Rigidur Nature Line joint filler which is used with glued joint techniques. This combination with selected environmentally friendly accessories rounds off the construction range for healthy living. 6
Rigidur system accessories Product name Rigidur Nature Line joint filler Rigidur joint filler Rigidur grid reinforcement straps VARIO joint filler Product specification Single-component joint filler in paste form containing no solvents or hazardous substances Single-component, polyurethane-based joint filler in paste form containing no solvents Self-adhesive grid reinforcement straps in widths of 48 mm Polymer-modified material in accordance with EN 13963/type 4B Application For bonding of Rigidur boards using the glued joint technique For bonding of Rigidur boards using the glued joint technique Grid reinforcement straps for use with flattened-edge joining techniques For filling joints between Rigidur gypsum fibre boards when using the joint filling technique and to cover bonding agents Container size 310 ml/cartridge 310 ml/cartridge 90 m/roll 5 kg/bag 25 kg/sack Consumption approx. 15 ml/joint m approx. 15 ml/joint m 1 m/joint m approx. 0.3 kg/m 2 Coverage approx. 20 m 2 /cartridge approx. 20 m 2 /cartridge 112 m 2 /roll approx. 16 m 2 /bag approx. 80 m 2 /sack Processing time approx. 10 minutes approx. 10 minutes approx. 40 minutes Processing temperature 7 25 C 5 30 C not below 5 C not below 5 C Storage period 12 months unopened 12 months unopened 12 months unopened max. 3 months after opening Storage protected from frost not frost-sensitive dry dry and protected from frost Processing tips The standard processing assembly procedure remains unchanged. Detailed information on processing Rigidur gypsum fibre boards can be found in German in Verarbeitungsrichtline Rigidur Gipsfaserplatten Wand, Decke, Dach under www.rigips.de 7
Saint-Gobain Rigips GmbH. 1 st edition, March 2013. Rigips is a registered trade name of Saint-Gobain. Rigips reserves the right to revise product specifications without notice. The information in this document was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. It is the user s responsibility to ensure that it remains current prior to use. The information of this brochure was translated from the German original. Therefore we cannot exclude translation errors. The information of this publication does not relieve the users of our products from their checking of the German brochure. We do not assume any liability for translation errors. D/03.13/NZ/Rev.1 - digital Saint-Gobain Rigips GmbH Head office Schanzenstraße 84 D-40549 Düsseldorf info@rigips.de www.rigips.de Phone +49 (0)211 5503-0 Fax +49 (0)211 5503-208