Why All the Uproar Over Dust Mites

Dust mites are translucent with a slight beige tinge and do not bite people. They do eat mostly shed human skin amongst other things. There are several types of mites, including the itch mite, which will bite people. Dust mites produce a potent and very harmful allergen called guanine which affects everybody to varying degrees and for some people, seriously.

Guanine is an enzyme that is produced in the digestive system of a dust mite. The purpose of guanine is to break down hard to digest foods. Dust mites practice coprophagia, meaning that in lean times, they will eat their own fecal pellets. The potent digestive qualities of guanine are known to break down and kill living tissue.

Aside from the fecal pellets, guanine is also present in dust mite secretions, eggs, larva, molted shells (they molt each time they pass through 1 of 6 stages of life) and in dead dust mite body pieces. These allergenic particles are so tiny (20 microns or less) that they easily become airborne and float about a home for up to 2 hours before settling on EVERYTHING in the home, including dust mite-proof mattress pads and bedding. When these particles are inhaled, the guanine protein attaches itself to the living cells lining the walls of the lungs. This effectively suffocates and ultimately destroys healthy cells.

Asthma, asthma deaths (particularly among young children) and other respiratory illnesses have increased each year since 1980. Poor indoor air quality is the culprit.

Avoid the Aggressive Marketing Hype Claiming Solutions to Dust Mites

Dust mites (and bed bugs...altogether different critters) have been in the news constantly over the last 15 months. Billions of dollars are spent on specialty products marketed by self-serving manufacturers' each claiming to have the product that is the "cure all" to the problem of dust mites. But, the truth is that these products are only "band aids" or "cover-ups" and do not attack the source.

Costly mattress pads may provide a barrier to ADULT dust mites that range from 300 microns (males) to 400 microns (females) in size. However, the mattress pads do nothing but serve as a "landing pad" for all the other airborne dust mite allergens (DMA's). Table-top air purifiers are a complete rip-off and in most cases actually cause more harm than good...especially for those persons (allergy sufferers, asthmatics, the chronically ill) who become "sold on the benefits" of air purifiers through aggressive advertising campaigns. Medications may or may not provide temporary relief and even if they do work, the allergen source still remains, unaddressed.

Just a Few of the Well Documented Dust Mite and Indoor Pollutant Facts

Over 95% of the homes in the U.S. harbor dust mites and of those 50% are infested.

Indoor air pollution is 2 to 5 times higher (some cases 100 to 500 times) than outdoor air pollution.

Those who can least afford breathing polluted indoor air are the very same persons who spend over 90% of their lives indoors such as; infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, the elderly, and the chronically ill.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) has suggested that 50% of ALL ILLNESSES are caused by, or further aggravated by, indoor air pollution.

Dust is the #1 source of indoor air pollution and dust mite allergens (DMA's) are the worst offender.

Pollen is the #1 outdoor allergen and is readily transported indoors.

Within a home, our bedrooms contain the most allergens. These are inadvertently transported into our homes on our clothing, coats, hats, shoes, and hair. Snug and cozy in our bedcovers, and due to the warmth and humidity we emit, mattresses become an ideal miniature ecosystem that allows dust mites to live, thrive and breed. Also in our mattresses is pollen (transported indoors), mold, mildew, fungal spores, pet dander, insect pieces, bacteria, viruses, and of course, shed human skin.

Keys to Successfully Combat Dust Mites and Indoor Allergens

Through knowledge and education the general public will recognize the need to attack the allergen sources by implementing housekeeping practices that include Home Indoor Allergen Control. Start in the bedroom, specifically, begin sleeping on hygienic mattresses to improve ?health and wellness? and the quality of your life.

The three best and most cost effective means to reduce allergenic reactions are:

1). Knowledge and education
2). Source control (aka, avoidance, reduction, removal)
3). Ventilation

The EPA, this year 2007, has a new website (www.noattacks.org) to inform the U.S. public of the harm of indoor air pollution which is now the #1 concern of the agency...more so that outdoor air pollution. The cause for alarm is the increase in asthma, asthma deaths (especially among children) and respiratory diseases that have increased each year since 1980.