Open AccessEffect of air filtration on house dust mite, cat and dog allergens and particulate matter in homes
Author(s) -
MayaManzano José María,
Pusch Gudrun,
Ebner von Eschenbach Cordula,
Bartusel Elke,
Belzner Thomas,
Karg Erwin,
Bardolatzy Ulrich,
Scheja Michael,
SchmidtWeber Carsten,
Buters Jeroen
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
clinical and translational allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.979
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2045-7022
DOI - 10.1002/clt2.12137
Subject(s) - particulates , allergen , air filtration , hepa , mite , filtration (mathematics) , house dust mite , dust mites , medicine , allergy , veterinary medicine , immunology , biology , botany , ecology , mathematics , statistics , filter (signal processing) , computer science , computer vision
Background Indoor allergens (i.e. from mite, cat and dog) are carried by airborne particulate matter. Thus, removal of particles would reduce allergen exposure. This work aims to assess the performance of air filtration on particulate matter and thus allergen removal in 22 bedrooms. Methods Indoor air was sampled (with and without air filtration) with a cascade impactor and allergens were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Particulate matter (including ultrafine particles) was also monitored. Results The median of allergen reduction was 75.2% for Der f 1 ( p < 0.001, n = 20), 65.5% for Der p 1 ( p = 0.066, n = 4), 76.6% for Fel d 1 ( p < 0.01, n = 21) and 89.3% for Can f 1 ( p < 0.01, n = 10). For size fractions, reductions were statistically significant for Der f 1 (all p < 0.001), Can f 1 (PM >10 and PM 2.5–10 , p < 0.01) and Fel d 1 (PM 2.5–10 , p < 0.01), but not for Der p 1 (all p > 0.05). PM was reduced in all fractions ( p < 0.001). The allergens were found in all particle size fractions, higher mite allergens in the PM >10 and for pet allergens in the PM 2.5–10 . Conclusions Air filtration was effective in removing mites, cat and dog allergens and also particulate matter from ambient indoor air, offering a fast and simple solution to mitigate allergen exposome.