John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
Stanford researchers are collaborating to develop a concrete flooring mix that aims to provide health benefits while reducing carbon emissions. The initiative, funded by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment’s Environmental Venture Projects program, seeks to address both public health and environmental concerns.
Jade Benjamin-Chung, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at the Stanford School of Medicine, analyzed the impact of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions on health outcomes in Bangladeshi households. Her research found that many common strategies were not as effective due to their cost and maintenance challenges. In Bangladesh, where around 70% of rural homes have soil-packed floors, children often ingest pathogens from these surfaces.
"We started to get excited about concrete floors as a potential hygiene intervention," said Benjamin-Chung. She discussed her idea with Stephen Luby, a professor of infectious diseases at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, who introduced her to Sarah Billington, an expert on concrete and building materials.
Billington expressed concerns about the environmental impact of increasing concrete use due to its high carbon emissions. Cement production alone accounts for 5-10% of global carbon emissions. "It was nice to see the positive benefits of concrete," said Billington. However, she noted the need for sustainable alternatives.
The team is exploring low-emission concrete alternatives using ingredients like recycled fly ash. This byproduct of burning coal can be incorporated into cement safely and reduces emissions. Jason Hernandez, a PhD student in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, is testing these alternative mixes in collaboration with Alexandria Boehm and Michael Lepech.
Initial findings suggest that pathogens such as E. coli have similar survival rates on traditional cement mix slabs and fly ash slabs. This indicates that alternative cement mixes could be as effective as traditional concrete in reducing disease transmission.
The project includes a field-based trial funded by the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the link between concrete floors and child and maternal health in Bangladesh. The team is working with local NGO Village Education Research Center to install concrete floors in homes and monitor health outcomes over two years.
In addition to physical health benefits, researchers are examining mental health improvements for mothers using concrete floors. Previous studies indicate that such flooring can reduce cleaning time and improve quality of life.
"This project could really be a model for how to do public health with sustainability baked in at the beginning," said Benjamin-Chung.
Additional contributors include Claire Anderson from civil and environmental engineering; Billington is also affiliated with Stanford Bio-X and other institutes within Stanford University.
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