Health alert: why your home could be making you sick – realestate.com.au

Is your house making you sick?

An industry expert has warned that ordinary Australians are getting sick from their homes and workplaces, with most unaware of the impact poor building design is having on them.

Healthy Building Designer founder Maria Faalafi, who advocates health-focused inclusive design, said toxic materials, poor ventilation, harsh lighting and overstimulating spaces were causing a “silent epidemic of building-related illness”.

“Many people spend thousands of dollars trying to improve their diet, their sleep or their mindset, yet they live in environments that constantly cause stress, fatigue, inflammation and chronic disease,” Ms Faalafi said.

“Bad design is not only ugly, it is unhealthy and makes people very sick.”

Ms Faalafi said exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCS), off-gassing from furniture, poor air quality, synthetic finishes, bright light and mold had become a serious health problem, partly due to the fact that Australians now spend 90 per cent of their time indoors.

Healthy Building Designer founder Maria Faalafi said building design should support a person’s physical and mental health. Delivered

---

“Every day I meet people who think their headaches, anxiety or poor sleep are medical problems, when usually their homes or offices are the real culprits,” Ms Faalafi said.

“The truth is that our buildings can disrupt our nervous systems, our hormones and even our cognitive functions.”

Ms Faalafi said traditional building and interior design prioritizes aesthetics and cost savings over user wellbeing, with the end result being a visually impressive but “physiologically and physically damaging” design, which can cause anxiety, ADHD, migraines, asthma, chronic fatigue and more.

A poorly designed home can cause unwanted health effects.

---

“Fluorescent lighting, echoey acoustics, synthetic carpets, cleaning products, strong odors and poor indoor air quality can put sensitive nervous systems in a constant fight-or-flight situation,” she says.

“We have normalized living and working in spaces that our bodies scream at.”

Ms Faalafi said creating a better and healthier environment did not have to cost more, and that more thoughtful design could deliver better health outcomes for building occupants.

“Choosing natural materials over synthetic materials, avoiding fluorescent or bright lighting, improving indoor air quality and eliminating synthetic odors in the home are a good start,” she said.

“These are simple, affordable changes that can transform the way people feel and function every day.”

Black mold can thrive under the right conditions.

---

Ms Faalafi is demanding stricter standards to ensure that buildings not only meet structural or aesthetic standards, but also meet health-based criteria around indoor air quality, lighting and material selection. She wants training in healthy and inclusive design embedded in university architecture and interior design programs, so that those designing the buildings of the future understand the implications of their decisions on the health of users.

“We regulate what we eat and drink, but not what we breathe at home or at work,” she said.

“It is time for the government to recognize that poor building design poses a major health risk, especially for children, the elderly and people with invisible disabilities.”

“I don’t ask people to live in the middle of the bush to be healthy.

“I just ask them to build houses that won’t make them sick.”

MORE NEWS:

103-year-old seller says goodbye to beloved house at auction

Adelaide home with X-rated feature blowing buyers away

Adelaide homeowner makes $1.5 million doing absolutely nothing

$74,500 more than last year – Adelaide house prices are rising

How much you need to save to buy in each Australian suburb

Shock a $20,000 hack that will change Australian lives

It comes as insurance comparison site iSelect has issued a warning of an impending mold epidemic, following the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast that the next three months will be “wetter and warmer”.

“Australia is primed for a stronger than normal mold season,” says iSelect’s Sophie Ryan.

“When it comes to mold caused by heavy rain and damp conditions, we have unfortunately discovered a real lack of understanding about this,” Ryan stated, underscoring the urgent need for Australians to arm themselves with knowledge.

She was emphatic that while the complexity of insurance policies can be mind-boggling, understanding the fine print is absolutely non-negotiable.

Know what you’re dealing with to avoid both physical and financial headaches.

---

“Home insurance and contents insurance, it’s one where you really have to read the fine print… because otherwise you’re opening yourself up to potential financial pain because you don’t know these things and you don’t want to be left underinsured, or left uninsured at all if you do have to make a claim.”

Amid this bleak outlook, there is a glimmer of hope: prevention is often both simple and affordable.

Ryan implored all Australians to take proactive measures: ensure robust ventilation by opening windows regularly, especially after showering or cooking; diligently use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens; dry clothes outdoors if possible; and consistently wipe surfaces in damp areas.

For those who live in particularly humid climates, a dehumidifier can prove to be an invaluable investment.

– with Lydia Kellner