Is your home making you sick?
An industry expert has warned everyday Australians are getting sick from their homes and workplaces, with most unaware the impact poor building design is having on them.
The Healthy Building Designer founder Maria Faalafi, who advocates for health-focused inclusive design, said toxic materials, poor ventilation, harsh lighting and overstimulating spaces was causing a “silent epidemic of building-related illness”.
“Many people spend thousands fixing their diet, their sleep or their mindset, yet they’re living in environments that constantly trigger stress, fatigue, inflammation and chronic diseases,” Ms Faalafi said.
“Bad design isn’t just ugly, it’s unhealthy and it’s making people very sick.”
Ms Faalafi said exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCS), off-gassing furniture, poor air quality, synthetic finishes, harsh lighting and mould has become a serious health issue, due in part to the fact that Australians now spend 90 per cent of their time indoors.
Black mould has been allowed to flourish in this home. Picture: Supplied
The Healthy Building Designer founder Maria Faalafi said building design should support a person’s physical and mental health. Supplied
“Every day I meet people who think their headaches, anxiety or poor sleep are medical problems, when in fact, their homes or offices are usually the real culprits,” Ms Faalafi said.
“The truth is, our buildings can disrupt our nervous system, our hormones and even our cognitive function.”
Ms Faalafi said traditional building and interior design prioritised aesthetics and cost savings over a user’s wellbeing, with the end result being a visually impressive, but “physiologically and physically harmful” one, and one that can cause anxiety, ADHD, migraines, asthma, chronic fatigue and more.
A poorly designed home can cause undesirable health effects.
“Fluorescent lighting, echoing acoustics, synthetic carpets, cleaning products, strong fragrances and poor indoor air quality can send sensitive nervous systems into constant fight-or-flight,” she said.
“We’ve normalised living and working in spaces that our bodies are screaming against.”
Ms Faalafi said creating better and healthier environments didn’t have to cost more, and that a more thoughtful design could yield better health outcomes for building users.
“Choose natural materials over synthetic ones, avoid fluorescent or bright lighting, improve indoor air quality and eliminate synthetic fragrances in the home are a great start” she said.
“These are simple, affordable changes that can transform how people feel and function every day.”
Black mould can flourish in the right conditions.
Ms Faalafi is demanding tougher standards to ensure buildings don’t just meet structural or aesthetic benchmarks, but meet health-based criteria around indoor air quality, lighting and material selection, and 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 users’ health.
“We regulate what we eat and drink, but not what we breathe at home or at work,” she said.
“It’s time the government recognised that poor building design is a major health risk, particularly for children, the elderly and those with invisible disabilities.”
“I’m not asking people to live in the middle of the bush to be healthy.
“I’m just asking them to build homes that don’t make them sick.”
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It comes as insurance comparison site iSelect issued a warning of an upcoming mould epidemic, due to the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast of a “wetter and warmer next three months”.
“Australia is poised for a stronger than usual mould season,” iSelect’s Sophie Ryan said.
“When it comes to mould caused by those heavy rain, damp conditions, we really found, unfortunately, a real lack of understanding about it,” Ryan stated, underscoring the urgent need for Australians to arm themselves with knowledge.
She emphatically stressed that while the intricacies of insurance policies can be baffling, comprehending the fine print is absolutely non-negotiable.
Know what you’re up against to avoid both physical and financial headaches.
“Home insurance and contents insurance, it’s one that you really do need to read that fine print … because otherwise, you’re exposing yourself to potential financial pain, not knowing these things and you don’t want to be left underinsured, or not insured altogether if you do need to make a claim.”
Amid this grim outlook, there is a glimmer of hope: prevention is often both simple and affordable.
Ryan implored all Australians to adopt proactive measures: ensure robust ventilation by regularly opening windows, especially after showering or cooking; diligently use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens; dry clothes outdoors whenever feasible; and consistently wipe down surfaces in damp areas.
For those residing in particularly humid climates, a dehumidifier can prove to be an invaluable investment.
– with Lydia Kellner
English (US) · 