The tested material, noraplan® mega, has been tested in three different types of installation: joint-sealed with nora® hot welding rod, joint-sealed with nora® 2K joint sealing compound TH as well as not join-sealed, that is joint to joint. The result of the expert opinion is that a complete disinfection has been reached for all types of installation despite of very high germ concentrations and different disinfection agents used.

The method to install joint to joint without sealing is not only characterized by cost-effectiveness. Nora rubber floorcoverings are produced without use of any plasticizers which in the course of time may drift and thus may produce shrinking of the floorcovering. Unlike PVC floorcoverings, nora® floorcoverings are thus dimensionally stable. Nora floorcoverings installed joint to joint will be leak-proof even after long years of installation. There will be no intermediate spaces between the lines where dirt may deposit. As the expert opinion on hygiene shows, the Freudenberg rubber floorcoverings can be used without any hesitation in sensitive areas of application such as clinics and doctor's practices.

The expert opinion was prepared by Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Hans-Günther Sonntag, director of the Department of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology of the Hygiene Institute of the University of Heidelberg. Professor Sonntag is also vice-chairman of the disinfection agent commission of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM).