What is it?
Geopathic stress refers to local variations or anomalies in the natural physical environment that may be present at a site and which, in Building Biology, are among the physical factors that can be assessed within a comprehensive study of the indoor environment. It is also referred to as geological disturbances, the term used in the English edition of the Building Biology standard.
Its analysis is based on methodologies specific to Building Biology and is always interpreted together with the other physical, chemical and biological factors present in the building.
It does not replace other measurable parameters such as electromagnetic fields, radioactivity or air quality: it is an additional element of the assessment when the scope of the study requires it.
Where can it be found?
It is related to the characteristics of the subsoil and the geological setting on which a building stands. It may be shaped by geological fractures, lithological changes, underground water flows, local variations in the ground or other particular features of the site.
Its possible influence depends not only on the ground, but also on the position of the building, the interior layout of the rooms and the intended use of each space. That is why the assessment is always carried out on the specific property and not solely on the ground.
How is it assessed?
What the inspection looks at
The inspection examines the building and how it sits on the site.
What is recorded for each measurement
Equipment, quantity, unit, location, date, measurement conditions and duration, together with the relevant limitations and the interpretation criterion applied.
How this factor is measured
When the scope of the study includes it, a geobiological assessment is carried out using the methodology employed by Cemprotecta, complemented by the other objective measurements of the indoor environment.
The observations made are documented and interpreted together with the results for AC electric fields, AC magnetic fields, radio frequencies, magnetostatics, radioactivity and other environmental parameters.
Criteria
The SBM-2024 includes the assessment of geological disturbances (Geologische Störungen) among the physical factors. Interpretation is not based on a single indicator, but on the combined analysis of the observations made during the inspection and the information obtained in the rest of the environmental assessment.
The aim is to understand the context of the building and to avoid conclusions based on a single factor.
This guide does not publish values or thresholds. Technical criteria, legal limits and recommendations are different things and are not presented as equivalent.
Improvement measures
Work always begins by understanding and, where possible, reducing the source, before acting on the path or on the space. Measures are prioritised by expected effect, feasibility and proportionality, and no products are recommended by default.
The action taken depends on the characteristics of the property and on the results of the study. Options that may be considered include:
- Reorganising the layout of certain areas where people spend long periods.
- Considering complementary measures arising from the environmental assessment as a whole.
Recommendations are always adapted to each building and are never standardised.
How Cemprotecta helps
This factor is not assessed on its own. Cemprotecta integrates it into an overall assessment of the indoor environment, and the report brings together all the observations and measurements made to provide a combined interpretation of the building.
What an assessment gives you is knowing what is there, where it is and what can be done about it, with an ordered sequence of measures rather than a list of problems.
- Inspection of the space and of how it sits on the site.
- Observations documented according to the methodology used.
- Combined interpretation with the other factors assessed.
- A report with the observations and measurements made.
Request an assessment
If this factor concerns you in your home or workplace, tell us about your case. The prior inspection will determine whether it is worth measuring and what else should be assessed alongside it.