Dust mites are a microscopic
relative of spiders that live in our
furniture and carpet. They thrive in
our bedrooms because of the heat and
warmth we give off. Dust mites feed
off our dead skin cells.
Unfortunately their droppings have a
protein that many people are
allergic to. Dust Mite does most of
their attacking at night while you
are asleep.
Studies show that
over 45% of homes in the United
States have concentrations of dust
mites that are considered to be
dangerous enough to cause asthmatic
conditions.
Ten percent of Americans today have
asthma which is the leading cause of
children missing school. Dust mites
are possible the number one cause of
asthma problems in the home.
Dust mite live about six weeks and
female dust mites lay between 60 to
80 eggs during their lifetime. Dust
mites have no natural predator so
they just keep multiplying. A full
size mattress has approximately two
million dust mites in it. In one
gram of dust from a carpet, a little
over 10,000 mites were found. Old
pillow may have as much as 10% of
their weight made up of dead dust
mites and droppings. Makes you
think, huh?
Walk into a dusty room and one is
bound to sneeze. It is probably the
mildest form of allergic reaction to
dust. People with pre-disposed
ailments rhinitis, also known as hay
fever, will react more severely to
dusty conditions. Sometimes a fairly
clean environment can also trigger
off allergic reactions. It is simply
because there are house mites dead
and alive, present in the
environment. According to Dr M.
Nadchatram, the former head of the
acarology (study of sticks and
mites) division at the Institute
mites are hardly visible to the
naked eye. They are white in color
and are not parasitic.
Although the existence of mites was
discovered centuries ago, the
relationship between mites and house
dust allergies was only established
in 1964 by western and Japanese
selentists. They found that mites
were responsible for triggering off
bronchial asthma allergic rhinitis,
allergic dermatitis and other
allergic related ailments like
sinusitis. "Today, allergies caused
by house dust are regarded as the
most important after pollen induced
allergies. Eighty percent of house
dust allergies are said to be
mite-induced , " says Dr Nadchatram.
In Malaysia, IMR and the skin clinic
of the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital
have been conducting joint research
on house dust mites and its
association with respiratory
allergies. Dr Nadchatram himself has
been actively involved in research
related to house dust mites not only
in Malaysia but also in Singapore
when he was lecturing at the
National University of Singapore and
then in Hawaii where he went to do
his research fellowship in
acarology.
Studies have shown that the
infestation level of mites is higher
in the tropical region. The tropical
climate has no sudden temperature
changes and is humid - these two
factors are favorable for mites,
enabling them to live longer and
reproduce on a larger scale.
Can effective housekeeping reduce
the mites' population? One important
factor to remember is that both dead
and live mites are allergenic.
Regular
vacuuming is strongly recommended.
Air conditioning the bed room is
also important in controlling the
mites' population. "Sweeping is not
effective in removing fine particles
of dust which include mite eggs and
faeces." says Dr Nadchatram.
"Sweeping actually causes the mites
to be air bone and tribute within
the house." Therefore, sweeping
should be followed by mopping the
floor with a detergent or vacuuming.
"One other effective way of
eliminating house mites is by
employing in the age old practice of
sunning carpets, bed linen and
mattresses followed all dust
containing dust mites."
When
you have allergies it is important
to be very selective when looking
for the right pillow. Cotton pillows
tend to collect dust mites rapidly -
a big no-no for those with
allergies. Instead, look for OCA
Water Pillow. 100% anti dust
mites and provides you a healthier
life.
By
keeping to these methods, housewife
would be keeping dust and mites at
bay.
