Doctor EarthAustralian journal
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Air, chemicals and the backyard

The House

Indoor air, PFAS, lead paint, food gardens and the products that linger in Australian bathrooms.

An open backyard compost bin, a reminder that what goes down a drain or into a bucket eventually meets soil, water or air

The House

Choosing safer cleaning products without the greenwash

A safer clean is less about a leaf on the label and more about fragrance, residual disinfectants, what a septic can digest, and what vinegar cannot do. Read the first six ingredients. Ignore the waterfall. The house will still get clean.

Dr Linh Tran · 13 September 2024 · 9 min read

A Queenslander-style timber house in a Brisbane suburb, the kind of home where stain treatments, cosmetics and old outdoor gear quietly accumulate

The House

Household chemicals, PFAS and the swaps that actually matter

PFAS hide in stain treatments, some cosmetics and waterproofing, and they sit in groundwater near old firefighting foam. A household can swap a few products. It cannot mop a catchment. Here is the difference, written for an Australian laundry and an Australian suburb.

Dr Linh Tran · 13 September 2024 · 9 min read

A timber Queenslander in Sherwood, Brisbane, the sort of older house where lead paint and fibro still sit quietly in walls, eaves and fences

The House

Older houses, lead paint and the asbestos we still live with

Pre-1970 paint and fibro are still in ordinary Australian houses, including the Queenslanders people love. DIY renovation is how they become dust. Licensed removal is slower and less romantic. This is a householder’s note, not medical advice.

Dr Linh Tran · 13 September 2024 · 9 min read

A timber Queenslander in Sherwood, the kind of house that breathes in summer and can grow mould in a wet season

The House

Indoor air quality in Australian homes

Indoor air in an Australian house is bushfire smoke, a tropical wet-season mould, a gas cooktop and an unflued heater arguing in a closed room. This is not medical advice. It is a building conversation for owners and renters who still have to breathe at home.

Dr Linh Tran · 7 July 2024 · 9 min read