Housing and Asthma

Asthma is on the rise in a number of countries, in this volume Howieson asks what role the built environment has to play and what the construction industry can do to either slow the increase or reverse the trend. Based on the findings of a six-year research project, this book considers all aspects of housing to develop new strategies for dealing with the asthma pandemic in Britain and beyond. With the focus on the design and use pattern of our dwellings, the book looks at tackling the problems inherent in existing housing as well as forging guiding principles for the design of new dwellings, together with a financial assessment of the proposals.

Stirling Howieson

Introduction  1. The Aetiology of Asthma  2. The Ecology and Physiology of the House Dust Mite (HDM)  3. The Indoor Environment and the House Dust Mite  4. Housing and Health  5. Historical Changes in Domestic Ventilation Regimes  6. Designing a Double Blind Placebo Controlled Interventionist Trial  7. Key Findings and Discussion  8. Scoping the Confounding Variables  9. Hazardous Indoor Pollutants  10. Air Tightness and Ventilation Rates  11. Developing a New Low Allergen Prototype Dwelling  12. A Fiscal Strategy  13. Conclusions and Recommendations