Exposure to mouse allergen has been shown to be a cause of asthma in occupational settings. Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found detectable levels of mouse allergen in the majority (82%) of U.S. homes. They analyzed dust samples and asked questions in the first, nationally representative sample of homes, The National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing. The 831 homes were sampled from seventy-five randomly selected areas-- generally counties or groups of counties-- across regions of the country (northeast, southeast, midwest, southwest, northwest), housing types, and settings (urban, suburban, rural).
Dust samples used in the study were collected from kitchen and living room floors, upholstered furniture, beds, and bedroom floors. The amount of allergy-triggering particles on the kitchen floor of about one in every five homes was high enough to be associated with allergies and asthma. Residents of high-rise apartments and mobile homes were shown to be at relatively greater risk.
Allergen levels were studied and related to demographic factors and household characteristics. The odds of having elevated levels of mouse allergen in dust were increased when rodent or cockroach problems were reported.
For more information, please see the abstract and full scientific article by Cohn et al. in the June 2004 issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Vol. 113 No. 6 at:
http://www2.us.elsevierhealth.com/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchdbfor=home&id=ai
as well as the NIEHS press release at:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/mallergen.htm
|
Printer Friendly 
