How does my home affect my health?

As we spend so much time in our homes, the quality of our residential environment is a serious concern. Linking housing improvement to health has been the subject of a number of studies, but in the main these have been inconclusive. However for certain housing conditions, there is a link between poor housing and ill health:

• cold, damp and mouldy conditions in the home can make various symptoms and illness worse, such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease, asthma, arthritis, etc  
• the frequency of illnesses appears to increase with the level of dampness  
• one of the underlying reasons for excess winter deaths is cold, damp homes which increases fuel poverty. Every year, nationally, the mortality rate amongst older people rises during the winter months with extra deaths, from illnesses caused or exacerbated by exposure to the cold  
• the cold and damp in turn aggravates circulatory diseases, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks or respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis or pneumonia  
• poorly ventilated homes increase the prevalence of house dust mites; mould or fungal growths result from dampness and/or high humidity. These airborne pollutants can trigger allergic symptoms such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, eczema, cough and wheeze 
• pepeated exposure can lead to asthma, and it appears that the severity of the asthma intensifies with increasing humidity, house dust mite and mould levels.  Both house dust mites and moulds flourish in damp or humid conditions, and their growth is also influenced by temperature 
• anxiety and depression increase with the number of housing problems. 

Who is at risk? 

Potentially, everyone is at risk from the affects of unhealthy homes. However, young children, the elderly and people with chronic health problems are especially susceptible. For example, sufferers of asthma may find that their symptoms are aggravated by exposure to allergens and irritants in the home environment. 

Is the council doing anything to address this problem? 

Accordingly, a key determinant of the health of individuals is their housing and living conditions. We have put the following in place to start to tackle this issue: 

• addressing housing related health inequalities by addressing sub-standard housing conditions is central to our private sector housing policies  
• through partnership working, we are developing closer health alliances with the health authorities, local GPs, home improvement agencies, and NHS Warrington  
• in order to evaluate housing and health inequalities in delivering private sector housing services in Warrington, an evidence base approach using health impact assessment methodology has been developed and adopted since September 2003.       

What can I do?   

 If your home is poorly ventilated, cold and damp, there are things you can do to improve the indoors air quality whether or not you are an owner occupier or a tenant. The most important thing to remember is that dwellings should be warm, dry and well ventilated. 

Excess cold 

In the UK, there are approximately 40,000 more deaths between December and March than expected from death rates in other months of the year. This seasonal fluctuation is known as Excess Winter Deaths and is greater in the UK than in most other countries of continental Europe or Scandinavia. 

The extent to which housing contributes to this is not clearly known, but the indication is that people living in dwellings that are poorly heated are at significantly greater risk. The percentage rise in deaths in winter is greater in dwellings with low energy efficiency ratings. 

Absence of central heating and dissatisfaction with the heating system also show some association with increased risk of excess winter deaths. 

Ideally, your home should have effective thermal insulation and be efficiently heated. If it is not, there are various grants available to help you carry out insulation or heating improvements. Our energy efficiency team will be pleased to advise you.

For more information on how to keep your home warm throughout the winter months please see the affordable warmth and fuel poverty pages.

Maintaining ventilation

While it is desirable to seal our homes up to prevent draughts and promote energy efficiency, this does not allow the house to "breathe". That is, there is no exchange of fresh air to remove moisture, pollutants and odours. This leads to a build up of pollutants in the home. 

• allergens associated with house dust mites are the most common triggers of asthma, and are also implicated as causal agents of illness. Dust mites thrive in damp conditions so controlling moisture levels through adequate ventilation is essential
• volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a range of chemicals which produce vapours at room temperature. Sources in the home include household consumables (particularly cleaning products), adhesives, solvents, carpets and paints. Natural ventilation is very important in controlling concentration of VOCs
• extract ventilation – can be installed to remove moisture laden air during cooking, bathing and showering
• clothes drying facilities – clothes should not be dried in the home unless in a dryer ventilated to the external air
• background ventilation – there should be sufficient ventilation to deal with the moisture generated by normal domestic activities without the need to open windows. Opening windows can result in heat loss, noise and may be a security risk
• there may be no need for additional background ventilation where windows are ill-fitting, and not draught stripped, and/or where there are open chimney flues. But, where there is draught stripping, or tight fitting windows, provision for background ventilation may be necessary via trickle vents in replacement windows, insertion of high-level air bricks or by installing a suitable house ventilation system, for which assistance may be available.      

Dust control

Controlling dust is very important for people who are allergic to animal dander and mites.

• always wash bedding in very hot water, at least 130^of 54⁰C to kill dust mites.
• use allergen proof pillow covers and mattresses
• keep carpets clean and dry. Regular vacuuming can keep your carpet relatively clean. If possible use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter. 
• clean home often and thoroughly. 
• dust mite populations can be significantly reduced by raising indoor temperatures. To achieve this there should be adequate structural thermal insulation and appropriate means of heating the house. 

What is a health impact assessment?

Health impact assessment has been defined as "the estimation of the effects of a specified action on the health of a defined population." 

This health impact assessment methodology is implemented as part of the service delivery processes and the data derived from this is used both to appraise our effectiveness in meeting policy objectives, and to correlate reductions of housing related health inequalities.