B7 - Reducing the health impacts of dust

In Australia, the driest inhabited continent on earth, many communities experience problems with dust, either caused by unsealed roads and surfaces in the community or blown into the community from surrounding arid, rural or drought affected lands.

In many countries, dust causes direct health problems by irritating the skin and parts of the body that secrete mucus, which contributes to eye diseases such as trachoma, respiratory disease and skin infections. This section deals with design strategies for the house and living area that will reduce the direct impact of dust on people’s health.