Overcrowding and Poor Living Conditions

OVERCROWDING AND POOR LIVING CONDITIONS
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

OVERCROWDING AND POOR LIVING CONDITIONS
Introduction
In the case of health risk assessment, the term risk describes the probability that in a
given situation and a set time frame, there will be an adverse health outcome. Risk assessment
refers to the process of determining the probable impact of a hazard to an ecological system or a
specific human population for a certain period of time and under specified conditions. A hazard
is the aptitude of an agent to result in adversative health effect. A hazard can be physical,
psychosocial, chemical or microbiological, for instance, radiation sources, chemical pollutants in
the air, food, soil and water, pathogenic contaminants of microbiological nature in water and
food as well as electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and climate change. The assessment of the
possible impacts of these hazards on human health provides complete information to policy
regulators and makers for effective decision making. Environmental health risk assessment
entails identification of the hazard in the environment, finding out its potential impacts on human
health, determining the severity of its effects on health upon exposure and devising a risk
management plan. This paper focusses on environmental risk assessment for living conditions in
inner-city apartments in Melbourne, Australia. It begins by identifying the likely health hazards
associated with poor living conditions and their health impacts and ends with putting forward
recommendations for intervention.
Issue Identification
Just like other capital cities in Australia, Melbourne is home to some very expensive
rental properties. It is thus no huge surprise that the issue of overcrowding is experienced in the
city. There is a mismatch between the demand and supply for housing (Phibbs & Thompson,
2011). Since affordable housing facilities supplied do not meet the high demand, several people

have to rent the same apartment and share the space. However, overcrowding occurs sometimes
due to the need to make more profits by some investors and landlords. A two-bedroom apartment
can have more than a dozen people living in it, sometimes sleeping in shifts (Dow, 2015). This
problem is especially experienced by overseas workers and students as landlords are less likely
to mistreat tenants of their own cultural community, though this is a possibility as well (Romero
—Lankao & Borbor, 2013). A relationship exists between the quality of one’s housing
conditions and their physical and mental health. Poor housing is directly connected with lack of
personal freedom, poor sanitation and improper nutrition (Breysse et al., 2004). An individual
spends a lot of time in his or her house, and therefore issues such as the above-mentioned can
lead to severe illnesses and long-term health issues, which affects children more austerely. Some
health hazards associated with overcrowding and poor living conditions in inner city apartments
of Melbourne include:
Infection Risk
The risk of becoming infected with communicable illnesses is higher in overcrowded
places and regions where the quality of housing is poor. One’s housing environment is an
indicator of their health and wellbeing as they are deemed more susceptible to ailments if their
housing conditions are poor. Infectious agents such as smoke, mold and inadequate ventilation in
these areas lead to respiratory issues (Krieger & Higgins, 2002). Tuberculosis is one of the most
common illnesses that affect people in overcrowded regions. The spread of such a communicable
illness is fast as the patient only needs to cough or sneeze. The probability of becoming infected
escalates with an increase in the number of people in that region. The residents are more prone to
the infections due to inadequate air circulation and poor ventilation that keeps the infectious
agents within the area.

Poor living conditions are associated with insufficient sanitary facilities. There is also an
inadequacy of fresh clean water and the residents often lack a balanced diet (Shaw, 2004). These
aspects result in other health issues including diarrhea, measles, flu, malaria, and fever.
Contaminated water leads to gastric issues while stagnant water act as breeding sites for
mosquitoes. In a place such as Melbourne, sharing of personal items such as towels and beddings
can very easily transmit a skin disease from one person to another (Herath & Bentley, 2018).
Air Pollution
In many major cities of the world, Melbourne included, air pollution has become a
problem. Cities are usually homes for continuous industrial and technological advancements
which lead to emission of pollutants such as smoke, dust and technological waste that negatively
impact the healthiness of the people living nearby. Air pollution may also result from waste
mismanagement, burning fuel at homes and by automobiles, and animal wastes. Overcrowding
in inner cities leads to overloading of the existing waste management mechanisms, hence
leakages and emission of harmful gases. Overcrowding also limits the circulation of oxygen yet
toxic gases such as carbon monoxide are constantly produced by combustion of fuels which
adversely affects the residents’ health (Wu & Juurlink, 2014).
As a result of shared resources in the crowded inner city apartments in Melbourne, the
problem of air pollution is intensified. Air pollution further aggravates the condition of unhealthy
individuals but negatively affects the healthy ones as well. As a result of air pollution, one can
experience respiratory irritation while carrying out outdoor tasks. Also, air pollution may lead to
cardiovascular issues as the heart strains to supply the proper amount of oxygen to the body,
damaged respiratory cells, and organs, and enhanced stress on the lungs. If this problem
continues for a long period of time, illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis may develop