Table 1 World Health Organization (WHO) recommended housing and health domains
No. | WHO Housing and Health Domains | References | Examples of hazards | Health effects | Data availability in the AHSa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Indoor air quality | 1,5,6,14 | Particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, methane, black carbon, nitrous oxides, mold, formaldehyde | Cardiovascular, stroke, respiratory (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung cancer), neurological, shortened life expectancy, poisonings, mortality | Available |
2 | Dampness and mold | 1,15 | Bacteria and fungi | Respiratory (e.g., asthma, hypersensitivity), immunologic reactions | Available |
3 | Pests and allergens | 16 | Transport of endoparasites vector and/or pathogenic organisms | Respiratory (e.g., asthma), allergies, conjunctivitis, rodent-related diseases (e.g., plague, leptospirosis, rickettsia pox, rat-bite fever, dysentery, typhus) | Available |
4 | Lead | 1,5 | Lead poisoning | Neurotoxicant, impairments to children’s cognitive and social development, elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, renal insufficiency | Available |
5 | High indoor temperatures | 1 | Extreme heat stress | All-cause mortality, heat stroke, dehydration, heart and kidney co-morbidities. Older adults (age 65+) vulnerable | Limited |
6 | Low indoor temperatures | 1,5,17 | Extreme cold stress, increased risk of dampness and mold | Respiratory (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung inflammation), cardiovascular (e.g., vasoconstriction, chest pain, high blood pressure), strokes, all cause-mortality, depression, subarachnoid hemorrhage | Available |
7 | Household crowding | 1,5 | Resuspension of air pollutants, infectious disease transmission, poor sanitation, noise, second-hand tobacco smoke | Poor mental health, sleep disturbance, gastroenteritis and diarrheal diseases, infectious disease, behavioral issues (e.g., hostility), domestic violence, impaired children's cognitive development | Available |
8 | Injury hazards | 1,5,18 | Fires, falls, drowning, poor storage or labelling of hazardous chemicals | Electrocutions, burns, fractures, lacerations, chemical poisonings, hospitalization, mortality | Available |
9 | Inadequate water and sanitation | 1,19,20 | Endoparasites vectors, pathogenic organisms, toxic chemicals, metals (e.g. lead, arsenic) | Cholera, diarrhea illnesses, hepatitis A, typhoid, polio, lead poisoning, dehydration | Available |
10 | Ventilation | 1 | Low building leakage traps air pollutants indoors, higher leakage increase risk for dampness, mold, pest problems, and infiltration of air pollution | See health effects related to the WHO domains of indoor air quality, dampness and mold, pest and allergens, high and low indoor temperatures | Limited |
11 | Radonb | 1,5,21 | Radon | Lung cancer, mortality | Unavailable |
12 | Pesticides | 1,16,22 | Fungicides, herbicides, biocides | Headaches, vertigo, nausea, muscular weakness, endocrine disruption, carcinogenesis, neurological and reproductive effects | Unavailable |
13 | Asbestos | 1,23 | Asbestos | Respiratory, cancer (e.g. asbestosis, mesothelioma) | Unavailable |
14 | Noise | 1,5,24 | Unwanted noise, frequency and loudness, beyond 40Â dB (or 55Â dB for short-term) | Cardiovascular, cognitive impairments, sleep disturbance Long-term effects: hearing damage, psychological and physiological distress, increased allostatic load | Unavailable |
15 | Housing accessibility for people with functional impairmentsc | 1 | Safety: fires, slips/trips, drowning | Electrocutions, burns, falls, chemical poisonings, burns, drowning, fractures, hospitalization, mortality | Unavailable |