The Mighty Dust Mite and How to Deal With It
By Edward Green
The dust mite's mouth parts are grouped in front of the body,
resembling a head. Their body is oval and covered with fine striations.
Their eight tiny legs have small sticky pads which enable them
to burrow deep into carpet fibers and furniture, easily resisting
the pull of even the most powerful vacuum cleaners.
You definitely would not want to turn over in your bed and
find yourself face to face with one of these strange looking
creatures. Unfortunately, that is where their populations are
often the highest. The average bed can easily have over 10,000
dust mites living in it. Dust mites do not bite, sting or transmit
diseases, so they pose no harm except to people who are allergic
to a protein they produce. Their numbers have increased dramatically
in the past 20 to 30 years, especially during the winter months,
partly due to tighter homes where ventilation is limited and
temperatures tend to be warmer.
Egg-laying female mites can increase the population by 25
to 30 every three weeks. They go through five stages in their
life cycle; from egg, the larvae stage, then two nymph stages,
and finally the adult. The adult may also molt once. This cycle
from egg to the adult takes about one month. Adult mites can
live up to two months, depending on the humidity levels and temperatures
of their environment. They do not drink water but they absorb
moisture from the air and their environment. They just love higher
relative humidity of 70-80% and temperatures of 75-80 degrees
F in which their development and food consumption increases.
Dust Mites Produce a Powerful Allergen
It is the protein DER p1 in the fecal products and disintegrating
body parts of these minute dust mites that has a mighty adverse
effect on those who are allergic to it. Dust mites produce about
20 pellets per day, each measuring about 10 to 24 microns in
size. To put that in perspective, the diameter of the human hair
measures 80-100 microns. A gram of dust can hold 250,000 of these
minute droppings. They are so tiny and light that they float
easily into the air when disturbed by our daily activities. Inhaling
these minute particles causes allergic reactions in those who
are sensitive to this protein.
Allergens from the dust mite which cause asthmatic symptoms
was first suggested in 1921 but analysis of dust did not happen
until 1964 when a group led by Voohorst suggested that a mite
may be responsible for the dust allergen. It was soon established
that the dust mite droppings contain an allergen so they became
a focus over the years for their involvement with respiratory
ailments. The DER p1 produced by the dust mite is though to be
the most important allergen associated with asthma. About 10%
of the population are allergic to dust mite extracts.
Identifying the Sensitivity to Dust Mite Protein
House dust contains many types of debris, including fabric
fibers, human skin scales, human and animal dander, bacteria,
cockroach parts, mold spores, food particles and other organic
and synthetic materials. About 90% of the people who are allergic
to house dust extracts are allergic to dust mite extracts. Symptoms
which may come from sensitivities to the dust mite protein include
sneezing, congestion, itchy, watery eyes and persistently stuffy
nose and ears. Symptoms point more specifically to dust mites
when you experience repeated sneezing shortly after awakening,
symptoms get worse when beds are made or when using your vacuum
cleaner, and improve when you are outside. Diagnosis, using scratch
tests, etc., by an Allergist is recommended to determine which
allergens cause reactions. These doctors who specialize in treating
allergies can recommend a course of action specifically designed
to reduce or eliminate your allergic reactions. This may include
steps for reducing exposure to troublesome allergens, medical
therapy and desensitization injections (Systemic Immunotherapy
- SIT). The latter may be recommended if avoidance and medical
therapy fail to sufficiently reduce the allergic reaction. It
involves injections of a dust mite extract starting weekly, followed
by injections every six weeks for three to five years.
Importance of Reducing Exposure to the Dust Mite Allergen
If your family is not sensitive to the dust mite protein DER
p1, managing them may not be a high priority. For those who suffer
from it, management by reducing exposure to the allergen DER
p1 is quite important. Two important aspects which need to be
addressed are the removal of environments which are conducive
to dust and dust mites and the reduction of airborne dust mite
droppings and disintegrating body parts. Inhaling these minute
particles causes allergic reactions in those who are sensitive
to this protein.
The exposure level at which you experience allergic reactions
is determined by the sum of exposure to all allergens you're
sensitive to. Those who are sensitive to multiple allergens find
that reduction of exposure to any of the allergens will help
in their tolerance of all the allergens. It is important to realize
that you do not need to completely eliminate exposure to allergens.
Simply keeping your total exposure of all allergens below the
threshold at which you experience reactions is all that is necessary.
Reducing Exposure to Allergens in Your Bed
Due to the amount of time we spend sleeping the mattress should
be covered with a protector, our bedrooms are the areas which
deserve the most attention. Simply turning over in bed or breathing
near your pillow can cause you to inhale minute dust mite droppings.
Using hypo-allergenic fiberfill pillows is recommended over feather,
kapok or foam since they are more easily washed. Encasing your
pillows, mattress and box spring with plastic or specially coated
or finely woven (pore size < 10 microns) vapor- permeable
fabrics will deprive the dust mites of food and prevent many
of the dust mite droppings from reaching you. The fabrics are
more comfortable since they allow perspiration vapor to be more
naturally carried away from your skin. Thorough vacuuming the
mattresses, especially the seams and bed frame on a regular basis
is also helpful. Wash your sheets and mattress pads in soapy
water at 130 degrees F every one or two weeks to kill all mites.
Bedding and curtains which can withstand frequent washing should
be selected. Blankets can be dry cleaned or washed frequently.
Using an electric blanket for eight hours every day can reduce
dust mites in beds significantly. Heating blankets in a cloths
dryer for several hours also kills mites. By doing this, dry
cleaning or washing of blankets can be reduced to once a year.
Reducing Exposure to Allergens in All Your Rooms
Wall to wall carpet and upholstered surfaces can be reduced
or replaced with hard surfaces that are easier to clean. Dust
mites can not survive long on hard surfaces due to dehydration.
They absorb water through contact with their environment. Dusting
with a ULPA or HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner or specially treated
cloths is recommended over damp mopping. The latter may increase
the humidity in the house. Dust mites can't live at humidities
below 50%. Using air conditioners and dehumidifiers during the
summer to keep the humidity between 40% and 50% is often recommended.
During winter, if using a humidifier, be careful to keep the
humidity in this same range. A good humidity gauge can help monitor
this. Carpets that get damp on a regular basis should be replaced
with hard surfaces.
Having carpets professional cleaned with superheated steam
will effectively killing dust mites in them. Carpets can be treated
with sprays containing 3% tannic acid to make dust mite droppings
non- allergic. Benzyl benzoate powder which actually kills dust
mites is also available. Reduction of contact with dust mite
droppings is often preferred since these contain toxic chemicals
which some people are sensitive to.
Reducing Exposure to Allergens with Air Filters
Wearing a well fitting dust mask while vacuuming and making
beds can reduce the dust mite allergens you inhale. Some allergists
even recommend airing out a room really well after vacuuming
to reduce the airborne particles which are stirred up by many
vacuum cleaners. Furnace mounted and portable air cleaners are
available but their cost may be greater than the benefits achieved
by them. They definitely are not a substitute for the preventative
measures described above. The best are media type filters like
those which meet the stringent HEPA specification. Electrostatic
filters are not recommended unless cleaned regularly in which
case they may be as effective. Special filters can be placed
on the furnace air vents leading to your rooms to help trap allergens
before they can enter the room. Air cleaners which generate ozone
should be avoided since they have little effect on allergens
in the air and may worsen allergy symptoms since the ozone may
irritate the respiratory system.
Importance of an ULPA or HEPA Filtered Vacuum Cleaner
The vacuum cleaner is one of the most important tools for
managing dust mites and their minute droppings. Thorough cleaning
of carpets, mattresses, upholstered furniture, curtains and drapery
regularly will reduce the dust mite allergens in your home. It
is better to clean thoroughly once a week instead of lightly
every day. In order to prevent these minute particles containing
allergens from being recirculated into the air you breathe, a
vacuum cleaner's filtration system must be very efficient at
trapping particles at least that small.
The agitation and air flow created by your vacuum cleaner
to clean you surfaces causes a huge number of minute dust mite
dropping to be drawn into it. They can easily pass through most
vacuum cleaner bags and filters and be exhausted back into the
air you breathe, making it much dirtier than before. The vacuum
cleaner industry is taking advantage of the development of advanced
filtration media to provide much higher quality exhausted air
than was possible just a few years ago. The current cutting edge
in vacuum cleaner technology is in the area of improving the
filtration efficiencies of vacuum cleaners. Special high filtration
paper bags are available from many manufacturers which filter
much better than conventional ones. To learn more about these
high filtration paper bags, see our article on the efficiency
of vacuum cleaner paper bags
To reduce the effects on allergies and asthma caused by the
allergens in dust mite droppings, look for a vacuum cleaner with
an ULPA or HEPA filter. It also is very important to have a completely
sealed system so all air flow must pass through the ULPA or HEPA
filter to be cleaned by it. By combining high filtration paper
bags, a Certified HEPA filter and completely sealed systems,
vacuum cleaners can achieve extremely high filtration efficiencies
of 99.97% at 0.3 micron size particles. ULPA filters have an
even higher efficiency of 99.999% at 0.12 micron size particles.
For more information about HEPA and ULPA filtration.
Summary
Dust mites are microscopic creatures which live at peace with
all of us, constantly going about their routine of cleaning up
our environment. Unfortunately, for about 10% of the population,
the protein DER p1 in their minute droppings causes allergic
reactions which affect their respiratory systems causing allergic
reactions and triggering asthmatic attacks. A visit to an doctor
specializing in allergies (allergist) can confirm which allergens
you are sensitive to. They are able to prescribe a course of
action which may include steps to reduce the allergen exposure,
medication therapy and possibly desensitization injections.
Key steps to reduce exposure to dust mite allergens include
encasing mattresses and pillows, washing bedding and curtains
regularly, controlling humidity in you home and cleaning thoroughly
with a powerful high filtration vacuum cleaner. In extreme cases,
carpets and upholstered surfaces should be replaced with hard
surfaces which are easier to clean and which inhibit dust mite
growth. The goal is to reduce allergen exposure to below the
level at which allergic reactions occur, not necessarily the
elimination of all exposure to the dust mite allergen.
The Marble Master Stone Care System is specially formulated
and developed by stone care professionals with more than 40 years
of experience in the natural stone industry. For more information
or to purchase the products, visit www.marblemasteruk.com or
call 020 8807 8889.
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Edward Green owns and operates the highly successful Marble
Master Ltd company. Marble Master specializes in Restoration
and Refinishing of all types of natural stone and consultancy
services to Architects, Restoration Companies and Interior Designers.
http://www.marblemasteruk.com
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