Title

Preventing House Dust Mite Allergens In New Housing

Abstract

House dust mite allergens are a major cause of asthma. The objective of this study was preventing dust mite allergens in new houses with wall-to-wall carpets, not eradicating dust mites from infested homes. Five pairs of homes, located in the southeastern U.S., were studied for an average of 12 months. Each pair consisted of a newly built home with a central dehumidifier and an existing home without a central dehumidifier. Three new homes and two existing homes had thorough vacuum cleaning practices. Dust samples were taken monthly from a minimum of four locations in each home and analyzed for mite allergen levels. Carpet level relative humidities and temperatures were measured. The dehumidification systems maintained the average carpet relative humidity (RH) below 60% in all five new homes for all months. The three new homes with dehumidification and thorough vacuum cleaning practices did not have any dust mite allergens at the beginning of the study and continued allergen free. The two new homes with a dehumidifier and the three existing homes with poor cleaning practices had high allergen levels. The two existing homes with thorough vacuum cleaning practices had high allergen levels on one occasion only. © 2001 ASHRAE.

Publication Date

12-1-2001

Publication Title

IAQ Conference

Number of Pages

-

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

Socpus ID

84874149338 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84874149338

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