As distances within a space habitat will be rather small, only a couple of kilometers in most designs , bicycles will be an excellent mode of transportation for space settlers. Promoting cycling will also have environmental and public health benefits. Continue reading Public bicycle system
Tag Archives: health policy
Lead: one more time…
One of the Four Goals formulated by O’Neill in The High Frontier is to find an optimal life climate for all of humanity. The major implication of this for space habitats is to eliminate those substances, that are known to have a negative impact on public health. Continue reading Lead: one more time…
Fending off dementia
Dementia is obviously bad for those who suffer from this condition, but it also puts a strain on society. First of all, it removes potentially active people from society and secondly other people have to take care of dementia patients. Continue reading Fending off dementia
Health and working hours
We have discussed shorter work weeks in the past. There are several reasons for a reduction or working hours. Now French research adds another one to this list. According to a report on ScienceDaily people who work long hours over a decade have an increased risk of a stroke. Continue reading Health and working hours
Health promotion – some studies
ScienceDaily reports three interesting studies relevant for designing a public health policy. As we have stated previously, public policy should focus on prevention of disease – also known as health promotion. Continue reading Health promotion – some studies
Air pollution one more time
ScienceDaily reports of a Spanish study that shows that exposure around birth has a negative effect upon one’s cognitive abilities. Given that other studies on particulates have found similar and other negative impacts on human health, this study should not really surprise anyone. Continue reading Air pollution one more time
Clean air – follow up
The Guardian reports that one in six deaths due to lung cancer are non-smokers. Researchers quoted in the article do link this to air pollution – both indoor and outdoor. So this yet another remainder why strict air quality regulations are necessary, both on Earth and in Space Settlements.
Clean air and public health
ScienceDaily reports of an EU wide study to the effects of particulate matter:
Particulate matter takes away 125,000 years of healthy life from Europe’s child population
Public green
A Danish study indicated that children who were raised in a green environment have a 55 percent lower risk of developing mental disorders. For the designers of future space settlements this means that they need to ensure that there will be a substantial amount of public green.
For larger free space habitats such as O’Neill cylinders an interesting example is the Wonderwoods project in the Dutch city of Utrecht. This design by Italian architect Stefano Boeri Architetti combines high-rise buildings with forests, a concept he calls vertical forests.
Health policy II
Previously we argued that space settlements should invest in preventive medicine in order to reduce healthcare expenses. We discussed several causes of diseases and measures to deal with them. Here we will turn to another important cause of preventable diseases: alcohol. Continue reading Health policy II
