Alternatives to biocides – a contribution to a healthier indoor environment

Background Biocidal products contain active substances for the control of organisms that are harmful to human or animal health and for the control of organisms that cause damage to natural or manufactured products or are simply annoying. The various and sometimes incorrect or even needless use is one of the most abundant source of indoor pollutants in the private sector. Aims The obligation to inform the public about alternatives and precautionary measurements was included in the German Chemical law in order to minimize the use of biocidal products. This was the cause to develop an information system for costumers and multipliers with a new web portal and additional print products as the focal point. The new portal wants to raise the risk awareness of the public when they handle with biocidal products and to encourage the acceptance of the use of less harmful or harmless alternatives and preventive measurements. Methods In July 2010 the Federal Environment Agency has launched the portal www.biozid.info, which is regularly actualized and extended. The portal contains information about the different application areas (product types) of biocidal products, their use and alternatives and also a special inventory of different pests. Results We present results of the statistical evaluation of the users’ access of the portal over the years. They highlights the demand and interest of the visitors. The demand shows a specific course over the year with regard to the number of visits and the search items. Conclusions For the further implementation it is necessary to improve the attractiveness and usability of the portal. To expand the accessibility one also has to take into account other media such as the old style print media but also new social media, apps, podcast and video (Cross-Media-Strategy).