PREFACE Back in 1979 when we spent six months in the United States researching earth-sheltered buildings, we met a young couple who were also travelling throughout America. They were trying to find somewhere safe close to suitable employment where they could raise their family. They had left Oak Ridge, Tennessee (where the nuclear bomb had been created in World War II) and spent months trying to find a safe and unpolluted corner in which to settle. Finally, in Minneapolis, after months of searching and not finding one unspoilt place, they came to a decision. The disillusioned husband used the expression ‘fouling the nest’ as he told us of his plans to return to Oak Ridge close to the nuclear establishment. Reflecting on the way humanity is fouling its nest, the seeds of this book were sown. It is directed not only to those with health problems but also to those who are deeply concerned about the despoilation of our planet. How can a single person or family make a difference? What better example is there than that set by Ian Kiernan, who altered the thinking and actions of many people throughout the world when he instigated his ‘Clean-up Australia’ and ‘Clean-up the World’ campaigns and set an example for all to follow. It is noiw obvious that the building industry hascreated many problems in the early decades of the second half of this 20th century which are only now surfacing in some of today’s health problems. Many of the people who telephone about their problems could be categorised as victims of a 20th-century ‘malaise’. Their illnesses seem to have begun with the invention of long-chain-molecule plastics, glues and laminates as well as with the proliferation of certain types of electrical equipment.
The results of exposure to the environments created with such inventions have been variously described by environmental medical practitioners in such terms as Serotonin Irritation Syndrome (SIS), General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Then there are the various symptoms of allergies leading to Multiple Chemical Syndrome (MCS) or total allergy syndrome. These disorders are accompanied by many symptoms such as migraine, stomach cramp, asthma, eczema, joint and/or muscle pain and cramp along with a variety of others. Although they would not necessarily acknowledge it, generations of architects, engineers and builders have specified and installed various chemical-based and mineral products as well as electrical and building-construction systems that have only recently been suspected, and in some cases, proven to have endangered the health and happiness of those using their buildings. Outgassed toxic chemicals, aerosols, radioactive and mineral pollutants—as well as electrical and magnetic fields—have become an integral part of the built environment. These are latent time-bombs waiting for a level of toxicity or cumulative radiation to build up within the body of an individual beyond their tolerance threshold before causing symptoms of debilitation and ill-health. Chronic disease results when the immune system finally fails. Yet there is hope because the situation can usually be corrected when people are shown that their health problems have arisen from such causes. The human body is wonderfully regenerating, cells being replaced many times during a life span. No matter what your age, attempt to heal those cells now. Give your body a better environment as free from toxins and electromagnetic pollution as possible. Supply it with the best nutrients and minerals you can afford and surround it with the beneficial life fields of nature. It will, cell by cell, replace the you of today with a new you in the years to come. At first, the problem of correcting all the mistakes of the past and making the solutions economical and practical may seem insurmountable, but persevere. As you read, you may obtain ideas that will enable you to rejuvenate yourself and change some parts of your family’s lifestyle to permit enjoyment of the new environments described here.Those fortunate enough to modify their lifestyles early in life will possibly be able to enjoy a long, creative and healthy life. Those who come across these ideas late in life will at least be able to repair some of the damage of the past and improve their quality of life for their remaining years. Over the past decade or so, as the subjects covered here were researched, public interest has quickened and attitudes have changed. Ten years ago people were less concerned than they are now about these matters. Today, the situation has changed dramatically. No longer casual, curious enquiries, today’s telephone calls are more along the lines of a letter passed on by an editor of a magazine that had published one of my articles. ‘Where in Victoria’, an enquirer asked, ‘can I find someone who can advise me on the practical implementation of what you’ve been writing about’. Because of the distance involved, we felt helpless and despite much letter writing back and forth, there were many unaddressed issues. Also it is physically impossible to visit and advise people who live great distances away. For example, there was the distraught woman who rang from the Kimberley Ranges in Western Australia, with a severe illness. Her condition appeared to have resulted from the continuous recirculation of conditioned air without any fresh-air intake. For nine months of the year the outside air was so hot that she kept the family’s caravan completely closed. The unchanged,inside air kept building up toxic levels of outgassed fumes from the completely plastic-lined caravan. Incomplete combustion from her low-pressure gas-cooker and the family’s respired gases added to the already poisonous air. She was surprised to find that simply by opening all windows and doors and turning the air-conditioner off at night, the cool, clean, night air would remove the daily build-up of fumes. It may seem obvious but the whole town used air-conditioners day and night and it had not occurred to her that toxic air-pollution could be the cause of her trouble.
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