Building Biology Standard:
Physical Pollutants
Electromagnetic fields
1 ELF electric fields
2 ELF magnetic fields
3 Radio frequency radiation
4 Static electric fields
5 Static magnetic fields
Radiation and radon
6 Radioactivity
Gamma radiation
Radon gas
7 Geological disturbances
Earth’s magnetic field
Terrestrial radiation
Sound and light
8 Sound
Airborne sound
Structure-borne sound
9 Light
Flicker
Color rendering index
Illumination level
1 ELF electric fields
Anomaly
Electric field strength*
Electric field strength **
Extreme
> 10
> 50
> 1000
* Without ground reference ** With ground reference
Frequency range: up to and around 50/60 Hz
Additional safety factors of 10 to 100 are applied to the frequency range 2 kHz – 1 MHz.
Body voltage**
V/m
V/m
mV
No
< 0.3
< 1
< 10
Slight
0.3–1.5
1–5
10–100
Severe
1.5–10
5–50
100–1000
2 ELF magnetic fields
Anomaly
Flux density
Flux density
Extreme
> 500
> 5
Frequency range: up to and around 50/60 Hz
Additional safety factors of 10 to 100 are applied to the frequency range 2 kHz – 1 MHz.
Mains current (50/60 Hz) and railway current (16.7 Hz) are recorded separately.
The 95th percentile is used to evaluate long-term measurements.
nT
mG
No
< 20
< 0.2
Slight
20–100
0.2–1
Severe
100–500
1–5
3 Radio frequency radiation
Anomaly
Power density
Extreme
> 1000
The building biology guideline values apply to individual sources of radio frequency radiation such as:
WLAN (Wi-Fi)
DECT (cordless phones)
Cellular networks: 2G (GSM), 3G (UMTS/HSPA), 4G (LTE), 5G (New Radio)
Radio and television transmitters
µW/m2
No
< 0.1
Slight
0.1–10
Severe
10–1000
4 Static electric fields
Anomaly
Surface potential
Discharge time
Extreme
> 2000
> 60
> 2000
The building biology guideline values apply to materials and equipment used in close proximity to the human body and/or on dominant surface areas.
Relative humidity during testing: 40–60%
Air electricity
V
s
V/m
No
< 100
< 10
< 100
Slight
100–500
10–30
100–500
Severe
500–2000
30–60
500–2000
5 Static magnetic fields
Anomaly
Flux density deviation*
Flux density fluctuation**
Extreme
> 20
> 10
> 100
* Spatial deviation due to magnetized metal ** Temporal fluctuation due to DC current
Compass needle deviation
µT
µT
°
No
< 1
< 1
< 2
Slight
1–5
1–2
2–10
Severe
5–20
2–10
10–100
6 Radioactivity
Gamma radiation
Anomaly
Equivalent dose rate increase
Anomaly
Radon level
Extreme
> 100
The building biology guideline values apply in relation to the local average annual background radiation level of
100 nSv/h (0.8 mSv/a) or less. If the local average background level is higher, the percentages should be reduced accordingly.
Radon gas
> 200
> 5.4
Add the local average annual background level of radon in the outdoor air to the building biology guideline values.
Example for Southern Vancouver Island:
30 Bq/m3 (building biology guideline value) + 5 Bq/m3 (local outdoor air level) = < 35 Bq/m3 (local no anomaly range)
Radon level
%
Extreme
pCu/L
Bq/m3
No
< 50
No
< 0.8
< 30
Slight
50–70
Slight
0.8–1.6
30–60
Severe
70–100
Severe
60–200
1.6–5.4
7 Geological disturbances
Anomaly
Earth’s magnetic field
Terrestrial radiation
Extreme
> 1000
> 50
The building biology guideline values apply in relation to the local Earth’s magnetic field and gamma or neutron background radiation levels.
nT
%
No
< 100
< 10
Slight
100–200
10–20
Severe
200–1000
20–50
8 Sound
Anomaly
Sound pressure level
Sound pressure level
Extreme
> 45
> 52
> 55
The building biology guideline values refer to equivalent continuous sound levels (Leq).
Always measure dB(A) and dB(C) sound levels. For frequencies below 50 Hz, also take dB(Z) measurements.
dB(A) = commonly used for quiet sounds (frequency response not linear, weighted for human hearing)
dB(C) = commonly used for loud sounds (flat frequency response 100 Hz – 2 kHz)
dB(Z) = flat frequency response across all frequencies (10 Hz – 20 kHz)
Sound pressure level
dB(A)
dB(C)
dB(Z)
No
< 25
< 32
< 35
Slight
25–35
32–42
35–45
Severe
35–45
42–52
45–55
9 Light
Light flicker SBM-2015**
Color rendering SBM-2015
Illumination level
Color temperature
ELF electric field
ELF magnetic field
%
%
CRI
* Modulation depth < 0.01 = percent flicker < 1%
** Calculated as ripple content: W = (Φmax – Φmin / Φmax) ∗100%
lux
K
V/m
nT
At night during sleep, keep the light level s as low as possible, ideally completely dark (0 lux).
In the evening (2–3 hours before bedtime), use natural evening daylight or similar low blue light artificial lighting.
Recommendations for artificial lighting
Anomaly
Light flicker SBM-2024*
No
< 1
< 2
> 90
Daytime
100–100,000
4,000–6,000
< 10
< 50
Measured at 30 cm from the lamp
Slight
n/a
2–10
80–90
Evening
10–100
1,500–3,000
< 1
< 5
Similar to natural daylight, CRI > 95 (SBM-2024)
Light spectrum: continuous, smooth transitions, with no distinct peaks
Visible light (380–780 nm) including near infrared radiation
Low flicker, < 1% (SBM-2024)
Low EMF emissions
Low noise and total harmonic distortion (THD)
Ideally, use direct DC power for artificial lighting (no AC power conversion)
No RF emissions
No light modulation for data transmission (VLC)
No ultrasonic emissions, especially from compact fluorescent lamps
No toxic emissions or odor
No toxic components such as mercury
Severe
n/a
10–50
60–80
Nighttime
< 1
Electromagnetic field emissions from artificial lighting sources
VLF electric field
VLF magnetic field
V/m
nT
Extreme
n/a
> 50
< 60