Eradicating mould would save millions in health-care costs: how our homes affect our health

Housing is a key determinant of physical health. Housing conditions can increase or reduce the risk of problems including respiratory illness, heart disease and injury.

Improving housing conditions would see an improvement in health at the population level and reduce health-care costs.

In a study yet to be peer-reviewed, our research team has estimated eradicating mould and damp in Australian housing could cut health expenditure by A$117 million per million people, and increase income by $174 million. These figures represent 0.5%–2.1% of annual health spending and 0.08%–0.36% of gross domestic product.

We also estimated tackling mould and damp could result in an extra 4,190 health-adjusted life years (the number of years a person can expect to live in good health) per million people over 20 years. This is equivalent to about 1.5 healthy days per person. We’d see the greatest gains among people who are most disadvantaged.

In Australia and several similar countries, the conditions and location of many people’s homes are heavily influenced by housing affordability and the failure of successive governments to treat housing as a human right. Instead, it’s often been treated as a wealth-generating asset.

But it’s time to change things. The significant effects of poor housing on health, and a growing body of evidence indicating healthier homes could lead to tangible improvements, build a strong case for prioritising healthy housing policy in Australia.

Eradicating mould would save millions in health-care costs: how our homes affect our health

We spend a lot of time and money treating chronic health conditions. But we could prevent some of them in the first place if we improved housing.

^{The Conversation}

Another day, another dark galaxy candidate... this one's small, fluffy, and fits the job description eminently well. As usual, though, it's very hard to rule out other explanations, but it's so close to the theoretical predictions that it deserves a wider interest.

#Science
#Astronomy
#Galaxies

llittlephysicists.blogspot.com…

mountains.social/@Badgardener/… Badgardener@mountains.social - @MaQuest put up a post yesterday about green roofs and, of course, I had to go big myself up about how easy they were to make. So I thought I’d better put up some proof…

This one’s in my own garden. It’s a small lean-to type, built on the side of a larger shed. The photo’s a bit old, mainly because I’m not going out there right now, but it’s still going strong and is around ten years old.

Construction was off a frame of 3” and 4” posts, and the roof is laid on slightly curved plywood (for extra strength, although it would probably have been ok anyway). ‘Soil’ (50% compost, 50% vermiculite) depth is about four inches, and it all drains into the pot on the stand at left, which is connected to a pipe running under the patio and across to an IBC container on the other side of the garden.

The water from the larger shed roof drains onto this one, which is important - it gets about 2.5 times the water it would get otherwise.

I threw some grass seed up at the start, but have never touched it since. It might get watered a couple of times in the summer (although not this year), whatever grows is left alone and I don’t clear it - the elder leaves drop on it as well. It’s never been fed otherwise.

No complicated layers - just plastic sheet in a bathtub arrangement, growing medium and plants. So long as it slopes and the water has an exit, that’s all you need!

#Gardening

#GreenRoof

#SolarPunk

Badgardener (@Badgardener@mountains.social)

Attached: 2 images @MaQuest@mastodon.green put up a post yesterday about green roofs and, of course, I had to go big myself up about how easy they were to make. So I thought I’d better put up some proof… This one’s in my own garden.

^{mountains.social}

mastodon.infinitybeardesigns.c… infinitybear@mastodon.infinitybeardesigns.com - The cat nods off to the cozy scent of pumpkins and fall leaves, having paused only a moment to rest her weary paws.

Here's the 10th in a series of 12 themed cross stitch tracker patterns.

This one is for October!

I'm also including it as just a regular old pattern as pictured if you like it just the way it is and don't want to track anything.

infinitybeardesigns.com/patter…

#CrossStitch

Infinity Bear Designs (@infinitybear@mastodon.infinitybeardesigns.com)

Attached: 4 images The cat nods off to the cozy scent of pumpkins and fall leaves, having paused only a moment to rest her weary paws. Here's the 10th in a series of 12 themed cross stitch tracker patterns.

^{Infinity Bear Designs}

mastodon.social/@scottkiss/115… scottkiss@mastodon.social - Common Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina) at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO. Its bold white wing bands make it stand out in any garden.

What butterfly always catches your eye?

#Photography #Butterfly #MacroPhotography #ScottKissPhoto

Scott Kissinger (@scottkiss@mastodon.social)

Attached: 1 image Common Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina) at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO. Its bold white wing bands make it stand out in any garden.

^Mastodon