Good Health Blog

A healthy surrounding. Look. Think. Act.

- April 8, 2013

Take the time to look around you home, your work, your travel. Consider what is keeping you healthy and what might be adding a health risk. Sometimes you can improve you health by opening a window, or screening one! The much used dust mask might need an update or maybe you should consider buying that good hat with a wide brim. Have a think about the following:

  • Air pollution – for example, smog, wood smoke and mould.
  • Water quality – for example, grey water, tank water, fluoridation and drought.
  • Food quality – for example, contamination and nutrition.
  • Chemicals – for example, pesticides, farm chemicals, arsenic and CCA treated timber.
  • Metals – for example, exposure to lead, mercury and cadmium.
  • Diseases from animals and insects (vector borne) – for example, dengue fever, hendra virus, lyssavirus, Ross River fever and malaria.
  • Infectious diseases – for example, viral infections like swine flu.
  • Natural hazards – for example, solar radiation and extreme weather events.
  • Man-made structures – for example, exposure to asbestos or electromagnetic radiation sources like mobile phones.
  • Occupational health – for example, safety issues relating to the workplace such as noise pollution and hazardous waste.
  • Climate change – for example, higher sea levels, increased soil salinity and increased temperatures.