WASHINGTON, D.C.: Norway’s largest association for asthma and allergy sufferers has warned that new carbon neutral building regulations may lead to an increase in breathing disorders and allergies.
“In our eagerness to solve an environmental problem, we are causing a health problem,” said Bo Gleditsch of the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association. “You need to keep two thoughts in your head at once.”
He warned that new government-proposed building standards on lower carbon emissions from housing may cause asthma and allergies to increase in Norway.
“We get many questions about passive houses,” he explained. “They are almost hermetically sealed houses where the air does not change, this causes dust to accumulate and high temperatures.”
He warns that the long-term impact on people’s health of poor indoor air quality should be taken into account, as dusty and hot indoor environments may lead to high costs, both for the individual and society…