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A pilot study of the effect of mechanical ventilation and heat exchange on house‐dust mites and Der p 1 in New Zealand homes
Author(s) -
Crane J.,
Ellis I.,
Siebers R.,
Grimmet D.,
Lewis S.,
Fitzharris P.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1998.tb03971.x
Subject(s) - dust mites , ventilation (architecture) , house dust mite , environmental science , medicine , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , toxicology , biology , allergy , physics , immunology , allergen
We have examined the effect of reducing relative humidity (RH), with inbuilt mechanical ventilation and heat‐exchange (MVHE) units, on house‐dust‐ mite (HDM) counts and allergen levels, in a pilot study of 10 Wellington dwellings. Recent international prevalence studies in adults and children have confirmed a high prevalence of asthma in New Zealand, Sensitivity to HDM is common among the general population, and HDM is the major allergen associated with asthma. Recent studies of allergen levels have confirmed high concentrations of Der p 1 in the domestic environment. While humidity was significantly reduced in those dwellings fitted with ventilation units, no systematic effect on mites or Der p 1 was observed during the study period. When the reductions in humidity were examined in the context of the time spent below the critical equilibrium humidity (CEH), the intervention led to RH values below the CEH for only 39% of the total of 24‐h periods for which measurements were made. Reducing RH by means of MVHE in New Zealand domestic dwellings does not lower humidity sufficiently, or long enough, to have any measurable effect on HDM populations.