Building biology, bio-house design, biological architecture and ecological building all refer to the construction of a building along lines of more natural, renewable resources and health of the occupants. In other words buildings become more people-friendly. It aims to establish a balance between technology, culture and biology.
Have you ever wondered why most people who work indoors cannot wait to get out of doors as often as possible into the sunlight or among the trees?
In past centuries, people worked mostly outside. Life was simpler, and pollution was not the issue it is today.
Modern technology has brought many changes. Machines now do much of the hard work and new building materials have been developed. Many of us now have to work in offices.
This can be a real health risk. Just think about when you walk into an office, which is the most familiar scene:
- People concerned about being late with red eyes, coughs, sniffs, or yawns.
- A row of desks occupied by bronzed, muscular, relaxed, happy people.
It is a fact that people tend to get sick more often inside some buildings than they do inside others. British research by Professor Hedge and Andrew Wilkes in the 1980's provided evidence of common complaints peculiar to people in a ‘sick building’. Frequent symptoms included:
- Upper respiratory tract infections
- Headaches
- Lethargy
- Runny noses
- Sore eyes
- Dry/irritated throats and dry skin.
The environment inside an office can be affected by many things from the toxic qualities of building materials to the quality of air, temperature, and light. Over time, radiation from electrical wiring and appliances can affect the body. Badly arranged furniture can have a psychological effect and may result in considerable bruising or other injuries, for the tired and clumsy.
It does not have to be this way though. There are lots of things about a building that can affect health and over the past couple of decades many different professionals including environmentalists, scientists, architects, and health practitioners have slowly been coming to grips with such issues. An obvious example is the banning of asbestos as a building material because it is now known to cause cancer (mesothelioma).
"Building Biology deals with the study of living organisms in and around the building environment which have direct or indirect effect on the health of the building fabric, its materials, structures, environments and occupants." Jagjit Singh (1993)
Sources of Chemicals in Buildings
Our awareness of dangerous chemicals has not been as good in the past, as it is today. As a result; many older buildings (in particular), will often contain high levels of toxins that can have an adverse affect on human health. There are measures that can be undertaken to minimize such problems, but the issues involved can be complex, and the range of chemicals diverse.
Here are some examples:
Heavy metals that are considered toxic include cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel. They are known as ‘heavy’ metals due to the large atomic weights of their atoms.
Cadmium
Indoor sources of cadmium include electric kettle (heating elements), cigarette smoke, batteries, electrical components, PVC products. Also outdoor sources (pesticides, vehicles, power plants, waste incineration, phosphate fertilisers and industrial sources) can infiltrate. Cadmium is a known human carcinogen.
Lead
The main source of indoor lead is pre 1970’s paint which as lead based, also lead solder and outdoor sources. Lead is present in outdoor dust, road dust and industrial sources. Older houses may contain lead piping for water. Lead can affect nearly every organ or system in your body. High exposure can lead to brain damage in children.
Mercury
Indoor sources of mercury include broken thermometers, paint pre 1960’s, combusted home heating oil and broken mercury lights. Outdoor sources include petrol driven vehicles, fossil fuel power plants and industrial sources. Mercury affects on the body will depend upon exposure time and ranges from lung damage to long term brain damage. Mercury exposure can affect an unborn foetus.
Nickel
The primary source of indoor nickel is cigarette smoke. It is found in jewellery, coins, batteries, paints, computer parts and stainless steel kitchen products. Nickel is a known human carcinogen.
Heavy metals when ingested or inhaled are known to cause a range of health effects such as cancer and general toxicity even in trace amounts.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a long stable of fertilizer, household cleaning products, flame retardants, refrigerants, texiles and explosives. At room temperature it is a colourless gas with a strong odour. Toxicity occurs when the gas or liquid ammonia reacts with water in tissue (animal body tissue) to form ammonium hydroxide. This reaction can cause chemical burns which mainly affects the respiratory system. Exposure can cause damage to the upper respiratory system while high/severe exposure will affect the entire respiratory system. Ammonia can also be ingested in which case the gastrointestinal system will be affected.
Ammonia is produced by the body from the breakdown of proteins and is metabolised by the liver. So the body can cope with low exposure. As a gas ammonia becomes toxic at 50-100ppm with noticeable throat, eye & nose irritation
If you would like to learn more about Healthy Buildings and their construction, then we can help.
Whilst Healthy Buildings II is a 100 hour course looking more at the building environment in healthy building construction.
