[GSBN] health (ill) effects of earthen floors

[Bruce King]

Thanks, Bill.

I agree with you and David E., that very likely a decent oil, lime or  
emulsion finish on a well-tamped earthen floor is likely to provide  
the same benefit.

I also agree about cement.  It's a fantastic building material -- when  
used skillfully -- and highly problematic when not.  And it comes at  
very high cost:  financially to a very poor person, and ecologically  
to everyone.  I saw in Haiti what I fear is a bit common, that people  
would spend very precious cash on cement and rebar, but then use them  
without knowledge or guidance, effectively throwing the money away and  
getting the illusion of modernity, durability and seismic safety.    
Bad concrete & masonry construction all over the world bakes people in  
summer, freezes them in winter, and kills them outright in  
earthquakes.  By spreading just a little of the right knowledge we can  
make that construction less expensive, more thermally comfortable, and  
safer.

Most of us on this list are painfully aware that clay-based  
construction is a viable, if not superior, alternative to  the many  
forms of cement-based building that are now widespread everywhere.  I  
would guess that the built environment of the past 100 years could  
have all of the good benefits, and maybe a few extra ones, and a lot  
less bad effects, if about half as much cement overall had been used  
-- skillfully.  As we promote earthen building as an alternative I  
really want to keep the science tight both to be sure, and also to not  
provide ammunition to the bad guys who rise up to resist our noble  
crusade.

Bruce "Ain't no good at bein' noble" King

bruce at bruce-king.com
(415) 987-7271
Twitter: @brucekinggreen
blog: bruceking.posterous.com
Skype: brucekingokok

On Jan 5, 2012, at 9:16 AM, Bill Steen wrote:

> Yes and no I would say.  It's talking about dirt floors that have no  
> treatment whatsoever.  That's quite different than floors that have  
> been sealed with oil or that have lime included.  I would assume  
> there is no data available or studies looking at the tataki floors  
> of Japan that have both lime and salts (magnesium chloride) included  
> in the mix but I seriously doubt that hookworm would have been a  
> factor.  Or the same I would think hold true for floors that have  
> been stabilized with cement and sealed in form or another.  In  
> short, that's my answer.
> On a note that is indirectly related to all this, the use of cement,  
> not that I'm against it in all respects,  in the third world  
> countries has produced what amounts to a plague of cold in the  
> winter/hot in the summer houses and buildings that in the overall  
> scheme of things, have had a very negative impact.
>
>
> Bill Steen
> bill at caneloproject.com
> www.caneloproject.com
> www.caneloproject.com/blog
> HC1 Box 324
> Elgin, AZ85611
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 5, 2012, at 9:31 AM, Bruce King wrote:
>
>>
>> Happy New Year, baleheads!
>>
>> I came across the article linked below about how adding concrete  
>> over earthen floors has a measurable positive impact on occupant  
>> health--  especially children's.  Many of us think "Yuck!" at the  
>> idea of concrete instead of earthen floors, but you can't argue  
>> with the science.
>>
>> Anyone have a rebuttal or additional relevant information?  At the  
>> very least, this seems like something we natural building types  
>> should take a cool-headed look at.
>>
>> Paving Paradise - by Charles Kenny | Foreign Policy
>> http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/03/paving_paradise
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Bruce "Cool Head Cold Feet" King
>>
>> bruce at bruce-king.com
>> (415) 987-7271
>> Twitter: @brucekinggreen
>> blog: bruceking.posterous.com
>> Skype: brucekingokok
>>
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