“A wise man should consider health is the greatest of human blessings...”  

A great man famously told us this, some two and a half thousand years ago. ‘Hippocrates of Kos, also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles, who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine.’ [1] He is often cited and attributed with the oldest binding ethical document in the field, The Hippocratic Oath, along with the well-known adage that is sworn in as a rite of passage by physicians before beginning practise - which is, ‘First do no harm.’

“Hippocrates is credited with being the first person to believe that diseases were caused naturally, not because of superstition and gods. Hippocrates was credited by the disciples of Pythagoras of allying philosophy and medicine. He separated the discipline of medicine from religion, believing and arguing that disease was not a punishment inflicted by the gods but rather the product of environmental factors, diet, and living habits.” [1]

This is believed to have changed the game, as Hippocrates was able to align cause and effect, thus guiding on best prevention and treatment principles. He contributed extensively to what we know and how we practice health - this is why he is considered the Father of Medicine.

Health.  

It’s been the hot topic for just over the past 18 months.  Government leaders, all over the world, have plunged their constituents into lockdowns. Controversial mandates have been implemented. Economies have crashed and many have lost their livelihoods. Borders have been closed and airplanes have not left the tarmac for quite some time. Press conferences flood our screens, and we are constantly being inundated with a barrage of changing stats, information and advice by bureaucrats on the daily. Whether one is out in the public sphere, within the work place, or even within the home - there is no denying that every facet of life has been infiltrated by what can only be described as a never ending dystopian nightmare. And at the heart of what is seemingly madness… on the surface, it would seem, is being justified under the premise of, health.

Frustrations mounding abound and all, one thing that can be certain, is that many might have, in the past taken health for granted, or put it at the back seat - but there is no denying that this topic, whether one has intended it to or not, is being thrust at the forefront of society, our economy and our minds. It begs the question then; do we consider and really appreciate what the great physician told us all those thousands of years ago? That if we are to be truly wise, we should regard our health; not to be a privilege, but rather, a great blessing - and a blessing, it really is. 

Whenever the topic of health is presented, so often do we characterise and attribute its decline to a number of causal factors; from ones’ harmful use of smoking and alcohol, to poor nutrition, to contagious diseases, to lack of sun protection; promoting skin cancers, to pollution from vehicles and industry, and so on and so forth… But have we ever really thought about how the built environment might be a contributing factor to the decline of health and wellbeing?

According to the AWE government website, “it is generally recognised that Australians spend 90% or more of their time indoors...” And I’m almost certain the stats are very similar in most Western Countries. What this means is that because we spend a substantial amount of time indoors, one is more inclined to become sick as a result of a building that induces illnesses. Over the years, experts have actually termed the phrase, 'sick building syndrome’ (SBS), to describe an excess of chronic symptoms due to inhabiting what has just been stated, a sick building, that in turn, makes one sick.  

AWE tells us, “…these impacts carry a significant cost burden to the economy. The CSIRO estimates that the cost of poor indoor air quality in Australia may be as high as $12 billion per year (Brown, 1998). In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by the US EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health (US EPA, 1993).” [2] If poor indoor air quality is considered one of the top five risks to public health, then why is this topic not front and centre of our conversations? The incredible economic cost burden further reiterates and is a conducive indication as to how considerable this problem actually is.

Our homes and built environments are considered to be our third skin; our clothes, being our second. The Germans refer to this concept as, Bauen als Ökologiecall, which translates to building biology and ecology; meaning, our built environment is very much an ecological entity to the human biology - we are a part of it, as it is a part of us.

To illustrate this notion, imagine - if you will - that you were a little gold fish. You sit in an oversized fish tank with hundreds of other little fish; many of whom, that you have never met. Every day, one of your tank-mates gets scooped up and taken away to their very own homes - to live with their very own families. After many weeks of witnessing your friends being taken away - one by one - every single day, you sit there pondering and asking yourself,

“When will it be my turn? When will someone choose me? When will I get to have a home of my very own?”

One day, you notice a beautiful little girl from afar, peering out at you with her big green eyes. She wears a checkered dress, and her long brown hair is plaited down the middle. You see her turn away hastily, as she looks up at her Mother, tugging at the hem of her skirt, pointing towards your direction eagerly. She begins to squeal,

“That’s the one mummy, that’s the one!”

Her mother signals to the shop owner, whence they proceed toward the over crowded tank. The shop owner picks at her apron and digs you out with her trusty scooper, dropping you into a clear plastic bag, filled with water. The shop owner, Mother and little girl head over to the register, as you beam toward the little girl who is heaving and bouncing up and down excitedly. The Mother and shop owner make an exchange of some sort, and you are then handed over to the little girl. She then thrusts the bag towards her face, gleaning at her new friend. The Mother thanks the shop owner, as does the little girl, and you are then escorted into the car.

The ignition generates a loud noise and you marvel at how this metal container moves so swiftly. After some time in the vehicle, you start to feel nauseas, as everything bobs and swooshes and motions dramatically. But your new friend holds you close to her heart, and she tells you that no harm will befall you - that you are protected and that she loves you. You feel at ease, knowing you are being kept safe and are in good hands. After what felt like a treacherous ride, the car finally comes to a halt, and the little girl jumps out with you in a tight grip, and runs eagerly down the driveway towards the door. Your new friend is jittery, she presses the plastic bag against her cheek, grasps your attention with her seeking green eyes and tells you that she cannot wait to show you your home.

“You’re going to love it,” she states ecstatically.

Finally, her Mother walks up from behind, turns the lock and opens the door - and the little girl escorts you inside. As she proceeds down the hallway, and turns left towards the living room, you begin to see it in the distance… as you ascend; a beautiful glass bowl with a circumference of 30cm is presented to you. The ritual begins and the little girl carefully unties the knot at the top of the bag, and delicately pours you into your new home.

It takes some time getting used to the environment, but you begin to familiarise and survey the space. Since you are so little, you think this is the perfect size for you.  You glance around at the new space, and marvel at the glistening little pebbles at the bottom of the tank, and daydream about all belly rubs you will get to enjoy. You notice to your right, a cute little castle, and imagine all the games you will play of hide and go seek. You envisage yourself playfully swimming and retreating in all the little nooks, where you will seek refuge, quiet and reprieve. The water is clear and you observe a brand new state of the art filter, taking in dirty water and cleansing out any discrepancies; keeping you and your new home nice and clean and healthy - in fishy terms, this means you get to breathe fresh water. The little girl sprinkles in delicious gourmet fishy treats, and you excitedly swim up to the surface and consume your meals. You spend your days swimming along and enjoying the good life. You love it here. You love your owners. They love you. And you are absolutely loving your new life. The wait was worth it. You love your new home.

Months goes by, and you overhear that the little girl and her parents will be embarking on a long family holiday. The little girl has worked so hard at school, and her parents work really hard at their jobs, and you are happy to see that they are taking a well-deserved and needed break. All the arrangements have been put into place, and the next-door neighbour’s son, a fourteen year old lanky teenage boy, with flaming red hair, and a face filled with freckles, has been entrusted to check in on the place, and to keep things in order. One of his jobs is to make sure you are happy, healthy and well-fed. The little girl gives him strict instructions and makes him promise to take good care of you. He dopily smiles down at her, revealing a full set of blue braces, and pinky swears that he will. Your owners are grateful to the boy and they give him a set of keys, hands over an envelope, which you believe to be an allowance for his favour. They thank him again and he is escorted out the door and heads home.

The next morning, at about 3am, your family quietly tip toes out of the door - because you seem so peaceful while you sleep, they do not want to stir you from your slumber, as they softly begin to embark on their journey. You wake up hours later, feeling well rested, and your first thought is that you are ready to fill your belly with a yummy and nutritious breakfast. You look around, perplexed that your family is nowhere to be seen. Then it hits you, they said they would commute in the middle of the night, so as to avoid the heavy morning traffic.

“Ok, but where is the tall gangly, red-headed boy?” You ask yourself.

Doesn’t he know that you are starving and in much need of sustenance?! 

Finally! You can hear the fumbling of keys, and after one too many unsuccessful attempts at turning the lock, the door handle twists; and to your relief, the tall gangly boy presents himself. He crosses the threshold and walks around, looking dumfounded and confused, as he survey’s the place to make sure all is in order. When he walks towards the door, you stare at him in awe. You are shocked that he has totally forgotten about you and his promise to the little girl! As though he might have read your mind in that instant, he comes to a sudden halt, looks down pensively and eventually catches a thought. He clicks his fingers in the air and springs into action. Sweeping around, once again, he apprehends the bowl sitting on top of the mantel. He snatches a handful of fish food and dumps a dollop into the bowl. 

You are ecstatic! Finally! You get to eat!

He stumbles out, and you hear the familiar fumbling of keys, as he attempts to secure the door shut. After a moments of delight, confusion then dawns down upon you as to why so much food has been placed on top of your home, causing it to become cloudy and obscure most of your vision. You shrug it off, happy to have a belly filled with food, and as the day goes by, you realise that the tall gangly boy does not plan on returning that evening.

And so, as the days go by, the tempo continues - the tall gangly boy pops in every - other - day, walking around in a haze, gawking as though he were in a constant state of perplex-ion. He dumps the food and stumbles out, fumbling with the keys, frantically trying to secure the door shut.

You notice that you have not seen the likes of day in well over a week. When the tall gangly boy comes, he does not open the windows, and you feel like you have been plunged into a perpetual state of darkness.  

Days and weeks go by and you notice that things seem murky. The filter system seems to have stopped working, and you start noticing a green like algae accumulating on the corners of the once glistening little pebbles. The shining little castle has now been overtaken by mould growth and is burgeoning within the crevices. You try to shrug it off, but you start noticing that you don’t feel too good. Your tummy is aching and you have trouble breathing. You’re not as energetic as you once were, and you’re feeling sleepy and itchy a lot of the time. Whence, once upon a time, you were a cheerful, happy and bright little fish; has now been overtaken by a feeling of dread, sickness and even depression. Your life continues as normal, and you go about your day sleeping, swimming and playing; despite feeling off, not understanding that your poor little environment is contributing to the decay of your poor little health. It is hurting you slowly, and you don’t really know it.

The tall gangly boy made a promise to the little girl to take care of you, and he is failing. You feel the weight of your body everyday propelling you toward the surface. If the little girl does not come soon to rescue you, you may very well end up at the top of the fish bowl.

This is the story about us. We are that little fish and our homes are the fish bowl. And just like the fish bowl is very much a part of, and an extensions of the fish - so too, our bodies are a part of, and an extension of our homes – if we do not recognise that our third skin is so integral to maintaining our health and well-being, and that it is so important to get our habitation right, will we reap the effects of poor health, as a consequence.  

Hippocrates tells us, “Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from small daily sins against Nature. When enough sins have accumulated, illnesses will suddenly appear.” 

These small daily sins is what occurs when inhabiting a building that is characterised as, Sick Building Syndrome. Over time, one may develop symptoms; whether it be in the short term, or the long term, inhabiting these environments for prolonged periods of time, does have consequences. Some short-term symptoms may be described as irritation of the skin, eyes and throat. Headache, drowsiness and general irritancy are also indicators of SBS. Long term symptoms such as cancer and respiratory disease may be caused by long term, periodic exposure to chemicals such as formaldehyde and microscopic fibres such as asbestos. 

We saw that a similar thing was happening to the poor little fish in its fish tank. The little fish felt the effects of a poor quality environment almost immediately, but was unaware of the accumulative effects this environment was going to have on it in the long term.

So, what are the accumulated sins that makes our homes, and our buildings, a sick building; causing imminent illnesses in most cases?

Let’s take a closer look and we will hopefully develop a better understanding of what is going on, and how we might offset committing these sins. 

‘Prescriptions for a healthy house, by Paula Baker-Laporte, Erica Elliott, and John Banta, identify, in their book, some things one needs to look out for to identify what is in the current environment that is making one sick, and what we need to do to rectify when retrofitting, or avoid, when building a new home or building.

VOC – Volatile Organic Compounds  

VOC’s are Organic compounds with chemicals containing carbon-hydrogen bonds at the molecular level. They are both manufactured and naturally occurring.  

You may have heard of the phrase, ‘off gassing.’ Notice when you buy a new piece of furniture, or install a new timber floor, or drive a new car, there is typically an accompanying smell - this is what is referred to as VOC’s and it can take some time for them to off gas, meaning, to release from the surface - hopefully and eventually, after some time, will dissipate.

Common sources of VOC occurring in the indoor environment include: 

• Plywood 

• Particleboard

• Wood paneling 

• Carpets and carpet pads 

• Insulation 

• Paints

• Finishes 

• Solvents 

• Adhesives 

• Synthetic fabrics 

• Cleaning products 

• Body care products 

• Mothballs 

• Insecticides 

• Aerosol products 

• Art and hobby materials 

• Dry cleaned garments 

• Air fresheners 

Automobile’s that are parked or operated in an attached garage is another source of off gassing. Gas that is visible to the eye, unlike the invisible VOCs we are speaking about, oil, and other volatile organic compounds diffuse into the structure and will affect air quality in the home. This is why it is important, if one is to build a garage, or have an existing garage attached to a dwelling, that they must be properly isolated from the main structure. 

All VOC’s have the potential to cause health problems.

Naturally Occurring Pollutants (Mould, Bacteria, Radon) 

Mould 

Mould is part of a group of a very common organisms called fungi. It is present virtually everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. 

Mould may grow indoors in wet or moist areas lacking adequate ventilation, including walls/ wallpaper, ceilings, bathroom tiles, carpets (especially those with jute backing), insulation material and wood. If moisture accumulates in a building, Mould growth will often occur. Many different types of Mould exist and all have the potential to cause health problems. 

Bacteria 

Bacteria, also called germs, are microscopic organisms not visible with the naked eye. Bacteria can live in a variety of environments, from hot water to ice. Some bacteria are good for you, while others can make you sick. Bacteria are single-celled, or simple, organisms. 

One of the sources is human occupants. Most of the bacteria found in houses originate from the skin and intestinal tracts of humans, and include species belonging to the bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Micrococcus.

The second major source is water, which disseminates bacteria through the home via showers, taps, and toilet. Bacterial growth in buildings may also be facilitated by water leaks, floor flooding, and in relevant areas, the rainy season. Once moisture has accumulated on building surfaces, biocontaminants may proliferate on surfaces and then be dispersed as bioaerosol.

The third source is the outdoor environment. Airborne bacteria enter houses via natural ventilation components such as windows and doors, while other environmental bacteria are transferred from shoes onto floors and carpets.

Radon 

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which has no smell, colour or taste. It comes from the radioactive decay of radium, which is present in small amounts in rocks and soil. Radon is chemically inert, so it can easily escape from the ground into the air where it can be inhaled. 

According to the ARPANSA, radon exposure in Australia is generally low, but for my overseas readers, it could be a problem, so it’s best to consult with your local authorities and find out if this is a risk in your area. 

EMF Pollution 

Electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as Radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting. EMFs are typically grouped into one of two categories by their frequency: 

• Non-ionizing: low-level radiation which is generally perceived as harmless to humans 

• Ionizing: high-level radiation which has the potential for cellular and DNA damage 

Radiation Type: Non-Ionizing 

Definition: Low to mid-frequency radiation which is generally perceived as harmless due to its lack of potency. 

Forms of Radiation: 

• Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) 

• Radio Frequency (RF) 

• Microwaves

• Visual Light 

Sources Examples: 

• Microwave ovens 

• Computers 

• House energy smart meters

• Wireless (wifi) networksCell Phones 

• Bluetooth devices 

• Power lines 

• MR 

Radiation Type: Ionizing 

Definition: Mid to high-frequency radiation which can, under certain circumstances, lead to cellular and or DNA damage with prolonged exposure. 

Forms of Radiation:  

• Ultraviolet (UV) 

• X-Rays 

• Gamma 

Sources Examples 

• Sunlight 

• X-Rays 

• Some Gamma Rays 

Many scientists agree that electromagnetic fields have biological effects, but they disagree on the exact effects and whether they are harmful.  

Toxic Byproducts of combustion  

Combustion (burning) by-products are gases and small particles. They are created by incompletely burned fuels such as oil, gas, kerosene, wood, coal and propane. Combustion by-products come from wood heaters and wood stoves, furnaces, gas ranges, gas heaters, generators, fireplaces, vehicle exhaust and unvented kerosene heaters, stoves and other sources. Second-hand tobacco smoke also contains combustion by-products. 

Pesticides 

Preliminary research shows widespread presence of pesticide residues in homes. Pesticides, or biocides, are poisons that are designed to kill a variety of plants and animals such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides). Mould (mildewcides), and fungus (fungicides).  

They were first developed as offshoots of nerve gas used during WWII.  

Many building products and household furnishings such as carpets, paints, and wood products are treated with biocides.  

Pesticides can drift a long distance from the site of application, leaving residues throughout the surrounding community. Pesticides contaminate everything and everyone they contact. Residues are found in rain, fog, snow, food, water, livestock, wildlife. People and pets may track pesticide residue into the house. 

Pesticides may cause both acute and chronic health effects. 

Many pesticides are fat soluble and bioaccumulate in tissues, where they can exert prolonged effects on the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems.  

When building or remodeling a healthy home, you can lower your pesticide exposure by not treating the soil under the building and by eliminating or sealing standard building products that contain biocides.  

This is just a summary and brief break down of what can cause your building, or home, to become a sick one, in turn, making one sick themselves.

If one is concerned about an existing house, or are thinking about building a house; consulting with a Building Biologist is something that is highly recommended. A Building Biologist will identify any existing issues, or potential issues, when building new and consult on best practice to ensure the home is healthy and safe for its inhabitants.

It is so important to recognise that our third skin is a lot more integral to our health and well being, than what we might have believed to be otherwise.

 I will finish off by giving the final word to the person that is considered to be one of the greatest commentators and a game changer for health of Western civilisation, Hippocrates:

“Before you heal someone, ask him if he's willing to give up the things that make him sick.” 

If our buildings are making us sick, we would do well to employ all necessary measures in order to build or retrofit our environments, so that we might live a happy and healthy life - because our health is truly a blessing and worth looking after.

Hippocrates. Line engraving by P. Pontius, 1638, after P. P. Rubens.

“Architecture is a paean of people. It is another nature dedicated for a better life for people in nature” - Itami Jun

Itami Jun; The Water Museum, 2006, Jeju Isand

Images: Hippocrates. Line engraving by P. Pontius, 1638, after P. P. Rubens.

The Water Museum, Photo Credit: Hosanna See

[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates

[2] https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/protection/air-quality/indoor-air

Disclaimer: The material and advice given on this blog has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for full consulting advice. Always consult with a professional for more accurate information that especially tailors individual circumstantial needs.