Viviane Gallus

Wood is commonly used in the building sector, emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contributing to indoor air quality. These VOC profiles can have a pleasant smell and positive effects e.g., induce relaxation. Contrarily, VOCs can have adverse health effects in higher concentrations. Therefore, some VOCs are regulated by guide values (GV). Potentially positive and negative effects of pinewood emissions, ranging from 0.2 mg/m ³ (German GV I for bicyclic terpenes) to 2.0 mg/m ³ (GV II) were investigated in an experimental 2 h exposure study using a within-subject design. Thirty-two healthy participants rated the perception, pleasantness, symptoms of irritation, and indicators of well-being. During a demanding working memory task (n-back) and a resting period, heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) changes were measured. Before and after each session physiological markers of sensory irritation were assessed. Ratings indicated that the exposure to GV I and GV II were not perceived as more intense or pleasant. Mostly concentration-independent effects were revealed, indicating that inter-individual factors influenced the ratings rather than the VOCs. The pinewood odors during the n-back task did not cause distraction nor did it facilitate performance as previously suggested. HR/V changes indicated that pinewood odors during and after the n-back tasks did not induce relaxation. Only symptoms of nasal irritation showed some weak concentration-dependency, not supported by physiological markers or comparable ratings of sensory irritation. In conclusion, the fact that no distinct odor is detected suggests that interfering factors potentially prevent the regulation of odors at relevant indoor air concentrations. Highlights: Successful exposure to realistic indoor pinewood VOCs No effect on ratings of indoor air quality, performance or sensory irritation No induction of relaxation during or after stressful tasks Short-term exposure to concentrations between GV I and II are non-effective

Over the recent past, tools have been developed to asses people's connection to and attitudes towards nature due to increasing interest in this topic in society and research. We translated one such questionnaire, the Nature Relatedness Scale, consisting of three subscales (NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience) to German. We collected 251 data sets and performed a confirmatory factor analysis, followed by an exploratory factor analysis. The analyses revealed that the reliability of the German NRS as a whole was good. However, they also showed NR-Perspective to be the weakest factor, and that NR-Self was a rather vague construct, closely connected to the other two subscales. Overall, we came to the conclusion that the NRS' three subscales are not as distinct and reliable as expected, and instead suggest a two-factor solution (NR-Presence and NR-Perspective) for use in German.