Learn how your environment can significantly impact upon your health and wellbeing
The buildings we live and work in may often have more of an impact upon both short-term and long-term wellbeing, than what most people realise.
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 amongst the trees? As people we have an innate need ot connect with nature, to get away from the built environment. Buildings can pose a health risk.
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 World Health Organisation has referred to this group of symptoms as 'sick building syndrome' and it is caused by poor ventilation, biological and chemical pollutants, and contaminants in and around buildings.
Help others by raising awareness of building-related health issues
This course helps you to develop skills to evaluate, describe and explain how physical characteristics of a building and its surrounds have an impact upon human health. This course builds on Healthy Buildings I, but can also stand alone as it covers such topics as impact and the macro-environment.
Some people take this course for their own benefit, or that of their family. For others, this course can be a foundation for developing or advancing a career as a consultant or other expert in environmental health.
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
-
Environmental Impacts On Buildings
-
Scope, nature and principles of building biology
-
Environmental impacts on buildings
-
Climate, building location, radon, air quality, allergies, temperature, humidity, light, EMR
-
Creation of electric fields
-
Chemicals
-
Air pollutants
-
Cleaning chemicals
-
Chemical breakdowns
-
Leakages and spills
-
Pesticides -household, industrial, agricultural
-
Solid Waste pollutants
-
Persistent organic polutants (POP's)
-
Formaldehydes
-
Heavy Metals
-
Ammonia
-
Resins
-
Where different chemicals originate in a building
-
Building Surrounds
-
Creating a buffer zone
-
Windbreaks, hedges, screens
-
Creating Shade
-
Designing a healthy home garden
-
Going natural in the garden
-
Avoiding problem materials
-
Disposing of waste
-
Making compost
-
Working with rather than against nature
-
Energy conservation
-
Solar House Design
-
Green principles for house design
-
Furnishings
-
Gas appliances, heaters and fireplaces
-
Furniture
-
Materials characteristics
-
Floor Coverings
-
Cane
-
Metals
-
Fabrics
-
Flame retardation treatments
-
Matresses
-
Dry cleaning and mothballing
-
Temperature and acoustic properties of fabrics
-
Finishes
-
Chemical reactions
-
Lung disease, cancer, skin disease
-
Paint
-
Repainting
-
Timber finishes against decay
-
Varnishes and oils
-
Pesticides & Alternatives
-
Types of insecticides -inorganic and biological (organophosphates, carbamates etc)
-
Rodenticides
-
Miticides, Bacteriacides, Algaecides, Termite treatments
-
Understanding pesticide characteristics -toxicity, persistence, volatility, etc
-
Common chemicals used in buildings, and natural alternatives
-
Common garden chemicals and natural pest/weed management
-
Understanding Insect Pest Management options
-
Managing Interior Environments
-
Assessing air quality
-
Ventilation
-
Temperature control
-
Cleaning
-
Acoustics
-
Electricity
-
Domestic pets
-
Light
-
Colour
-
Indoor Plants
-
Othyer hazards
-
Consulting
-
Services that can be offered to a client
-
Checklist of building hazards
-
Procedures and business practice for a consultant
-
Setting up costs
-
Operating a business
-
Developing a business plan
-
Determining fees to charge
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
-
Explain the impact of the macro-environment (location) on health.
-
Explain the impact of building surrounds, including a garden, on the interior environmental conditions.
-
Choose interior furnishings which are not likely to damage human health.
-
Explain the health implications of using different types of finishes, including sealers, paints, preservatives and stains.
-
Explain the health implications of using alternative methods of pest control inside buildings.
-
Plan health conscious management systems of interior environments.
What You Will Do
-
Explain how proximity to different bodies of water can affect human health, including: *Sea/Ocean *Freshwater lakes *A river *Ground water.
-
Explain how different aspects of prevailing weather patterns may influence house design in different regions, including: *temperature *rainfall *winds *day length.
-
Explain in a summary, how proximity to electromagnetic radiation may impact on health.
-
Explain in a summary, how proximity to different types of pollution can impact on health inside a dwelling.
-
Compare the impact of different garden treatments upon temperature inside buildings, including: -tall trees -lawn -paving -mulched surfaces -climbers on walls.
-
Explain how different garden design decisions can affect ventilation in a house, including: *earth shaping *planting *constructions *water features.
-
Compare the affect different garden components on light inside a building, including: *Plant types *How plants are grouped *Walls *Topography *Pergolas.
-
Explain how the visual characteristics of two different gardens influence the inside environment of a building.
-
Analyse two different gardens for the impact they have on buildings they surround.
-
Compare health aspects of different materials used for furnishings including: -metals -plastics -timbers -upholstery -curtains.
-
Compare health aspects of different floor coverings including: -tiles -carpets -vinyl -cork -slate -timber.
-
Explain health aspects of different electrical appliances including: -televisions -computers -refrigerators -microwaves -heaters -air conditioners -ovens.
-
Evaluate the furnishings in a building inspected by the learner, to determine recommended changes to improve building habitability.
-
Compare the health affects of different types of finishes including: sealers, paints, stains, preservatives and varnishes.
-
Compile a resource directory of ten sources of healthy alternatives to traditional finishes.
-
Describe the characteristics of three different specific products which are healthy alternatives to traditional paints and finishes.
-
Explain the toxic affects of ten different pesticides commonly used in buildings, both during and after construction.
-
List alternative "healthier" methods of controlling pests in buildings, including: -rodents -ants -termites -flies -cockroaches.
-
Develop a detailed pest control strategy for a building, in the learners locality, which includes: -structural treatments during and post construction
-
-preventative measures for anticipated problems
-
-eradication measures for existing problems.
-
Explain issues of building usage which can impact on health with respect to different factors including: -number of people -electricity -windows and doors -cooking -smoking -curtains -hygiene.
-
Analyse the way two specific buildings including a home and a workplace are used; to determine health risk factors in that use.
-
Recommend guidelines to the way in which different buildings, including an office, and a workplace, are used, to minimise negative impacts upon health.
Building Biology is a concept that originated in Germany and spread around the world.
It recognised the fact that the way we built and managed buildings, could have a significant impact upon the physical and mental wellbeing of the people who use those buildings.
This is just as relevant to offices, factories and shopping centres, as it is to homes.
Anyone who is involved in creating or maintaining buildings, has an influence upon whether the building is green and people friendly. Anyone who is involved in health services is negligent (or at least ignorant) if they don't consider the impact of the environment upon the people they are servicing.
Benefits of Studying this Course
Along with our Healthy Buildings I course, this course provides opportunities to health professionals, builders, architects, property developers and others to upskill and improve the services that they are able to offer clients within their profession.
It is also a mine of information for people who just want to know more about how their own health can be impacted by the buildings they live and work in.
Use this course as a foundation from which to take further studies in this area or for personal or professional development.
ENROL or Use our FREE Course Advice Service to Connect with a Tutor