3. Wood and health impact

3.1 Using wood in the health and food sectors

The beneficial presence of trees or wood material in the direct visual, tactile and auditory environment of individuals has been presented in detail in the preceding paragraphs. In the field of health, wood is used in pharmacology for the therapeutic properties of its extractives. In the food sector, wood is a material traditionally used for many applications (utensils, packaging, worktops, fittings, etc.). Despite this, wood is generally little used, or even discriminated against, in the hospital sector and the food industry (two key sectors for human health), because of its porous nature (instinctively considered difficult to clean), its behavior in water (see box) and its potential as a culture medium for infectious agents (molds, microbes,...