• mattresses, carpets and furnishings
• inadequately maintained appliances such as air circulation and dehumidification systems
• unventilated and unclean bathrooms
• damp or flooded floors and basements

Adverse health effects depend on the type and amount of biological pollutant and at the same time, the individuals' own sensitivities.

Allergic reactions are the most common response, in particular to dust mites, pet hair and pollen. The repsonse can vary from mildly uncomfortable to life threatening as in severe asthma. Breathing is made difficult for people with sensitive airways, due to the narrowing of the airway in repsonse to the trigger.
 
Other repsones include flu, infectious diseases and toxic reactions affecting any one of the body organs.

Chemcial pollutants origninate from gases or particles such as carbon monoxide and soot. Common sources include:

• oil and gas appliances
• second hand tobacco smoke
• paints, felt tip markers, correction fluids
• pesticides
• scents, personal care products
• household products like cleaners and freshners
• volatile organic compounds (VOC) found in some furniture, paint, adhesives, solvents, upholstery, drapes, carpet, clothing, construction material
• in the office copying machines and toners

Source and for more info visit The Lung Association - Canada

Article - Breathe a whole lot easier

Air purifiers could soon be recommended alongside weight loss, exercise and quit smoking for improving health of older people.

New research in the Amercian Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care has found that purifying air in the home for just 48 hours using high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter significantly improves small blood vessel function  - one of the measures of heart health. 

A total of 21 non-smoking couples aged 60-75 years who lived close to heavy traffic roads were involved in the study. Each couple used an air purifier for two 48 hour periods.

During one period, the purifier was fitted with a HEPA filter, and during the other, the filter was removed. The size and concentration of indoor air particles in each home were continuously monitored, and small blood vessel function was measured using a finger cuff.

It was found the HEPA filter removed about 60% of the ultra fine, fine and coarse air particles and was associated with  an 8.1% improvement in blood vessel function. AmJ Respir Crit Care med 2008;177:419-425 (Brauner E V, et al) 

Your environment, your health 

It has been estimated that 40 per cent of the population in Australia suffer from allergic rhinitis, the runny nose, itchy eyes like hayfever and other similar symptoms.

“The past five decades have seen tremendous growth in the incidence of all immune-based diseases, with allergies and asthma very much “the tip of the iceberg,” says Dr. Rothenberg, Director of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati, USA.

No one knows really why allergies are on the rise. As hayfever symptom presentations were increasing in the 70's compared to the 50's, pollen counts were falling.

A number of possible reasons have been put forward.

It could be due to an increase in dust mite populations in houses because of the way we build and furnish our homes. Most houses now have wall-to-wall carpets and ventilation is reduced to retain warmth in winter and coolness in summer. The result, an even temperature and high humidity, ideal conditions for dust mites to breed.

We spend more time indoors, increasing contact with dust, synthetic materials, and household chemicals and we are more likely to keep pets indoors.

We are exposed to more air pollution, common in urban areas around the world, which may also play a role in increasing asthma.

Changes in our eating habits, for example an increased intake in processed foods which contain a high concentration of colouring agents and chemical preservatives, could be making us more inclined to developing allergies.

With added focus on cleaner, germ-free lives, exposure to fewer illnesses in childhood, our immune systems may have inadequately developed and over-react when exposed to allergens such as grass pollen, house dust mites and cat hairs, a theory put forward in the 80's. 

Studies since, showed children raised on farms with livestock had a third fewer allergies than those who were not. Yet, the theory does not account for increases in allergies in some parts of the world remote from the infrastructure of developed nations. 

Today, around the world, we find ourselves exposed to a far greater amount of foreign substances, such as chemicals, than ever before, which could be causing any number of ill-effects to our bodies that medical scientists are still unaware of.

Mite trigger asthma during autumn

As the leaves change colour and falll, the dust mite population in your home could well be rising. Research from Sydney’s Woolcock Institute of Medical Research shows that dust mite levels can increase 2-3 times during late autumn, compared with summer levels. 

According to National Asthma Council Australia director, Dr Janet Rimmer, respiratory physician and allergist, “Around 45 per cent of the population have an allergy and of those people, almost 80 per cent react to dust mites."

“Dust mites are the most common trigger for asthma in Australia and the bedroom is the site of the greatest exposure.”

House dust mites are microscopic creatures that feed off human skin scales. They are mostly found in the home and live in soft furnishings such as beds, bedding, carpets, upholstered furniture, soft toys and clothing.

Dust mites thrive in temperate and humid climates and the research indicates a link between the change of weather and the dust mite population explosion, which appears to occur approximately two months after a damp, humid Autumn spell.

For people with dust mite triggered allergy or asthma, Dr Rimmer recommends a number of dust mite avoidance measures, which may take time, but are potentially helpful and need to be adhered to year round.

Dust mite control measures include:

• washing sheets and pillow cases weekly in water hotter than 55^oC
• covering mattress, pillow and quilt with dust mite resistant covers which must be washed every two months
• removing soft toys or hot washing them weekly or freezing them overnight
• dusting hard floors and surfaces with a damp or electrostatic cloth
• cleaning carpets weekly using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter

“Dust mites and the allergen they leave behind are extremely hard to eliminate, but people who are strenuously motivated to remove the allergen from their homes do say that it makes a difference.” Dr Rimmer said.

(Source: Kelly Ward: National Asthma Council Australia: April 2008) and 
Reference: Seasonal trends in house dust mite allergen in children’s beds over a 7-year period - D. Crisafulli, C. Almqvist, G. Marks, E. Tovey (2007) Allergy 62 (12) , 1394-1400

Article 

New research shows that bacteria lurking in household dust produce chemicals that may trigger asthma and asthma-related symptoms such as wheezing. These bacterial chemicals, called endotoxins, particularly those found on bedroom floors, were linked with increased respiratory problems in adults. This study, supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), is the first US nationwide study of endotoxins in the household environment. Read more >>

Break the code

Finding your way around the plastics maze can be tricky. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's "Smart Plastics Guide" has made it easy for you and your family with this handy hint,

"With your food, use 4,5,1 and 2. All the rest aren't good for you"

The phrase "Good night, sleep tight" may have history as far back as the Middle Ages. They slept on mattresses made of crossed ropes, strained over a wooden frame work, similar to a hammock. From time to time, the ropes loosened with the weight, and needed to be tightened to make for a better night's sleep. 

By the 16th century, Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes to form a platform. When the ropes became loose, the mattress would sag, making sleeping more uncomfortable. A special iron tool was used to tighten the mattress, making the bed firmer for a good night's sleep.

Yet, there appears to be some doubt among researchers in word origins. "Sleep tight" appears to date back only as far as 1866.  One of the definitions of "tight", used in the 18th and 19th centuries was "soundly". "Sleep tight" simply meant "sleep well."

Travelling with bed bugs

"Don't let the bed bugs bite" was written as an addition to an old nursery rhyme and may have come a little later when blankets were pulled in tight to keep away creepy crawlies like insects, bed bugs and rats.

Bed bugs, small 4-5mm wingless insects, oval in shape, reddish-brown in colour, thin and flattened body, are often very difficult to detect. Bed bugs are active at night, rarely seen in daylight, and bite any areas of exposed skin, feeding on human and animal blood. They can live without food for up to a year.

Bed bugs can infest a home, unit block, hotel or other accomodation and hide in extremely small crevices and cracks in and around beds, furniture and rooms, dark locations mostly, close to their food source. The most common place to find them is in the bed, seams, air holes of the mattress, ensemble base, bed frame and headboard.

While some bites may go unnoticed, bed bug bites are painless. Localized swelling and itching can occur, as well as skin irritation, inflammation or infected lesions when scratched, lasting for several days. It is not believed that they transmit diseases to humans read more at Sydney Uni Department of Medical Entomology>>> 

Once, they were a common public health pest worldwide, declining during mid 20th century, but now it appears infestations are on the increase. They are distributed world wide, readily transported via luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture.

Closer to home

What is the difference between a bed bug and a dust mite you may ask. Not only do they both like to live in or around our beds but also eat, defecate, grow, mate, lay eggs and hatch to start the cycle again in a short space of time.

• Dust mites have eight legs and belong to the spider family while bed bugs have 6 legs and belong to the insect family.
• Dust mites, with a fully rounded body, feed on human dander and skin cells differentiating from bed bugs, with a flattened, round body, feed and engorge on blood.
• Dust mites are invisible to the naked eye not only in size but they are translucent, while bed bugs are tiny, reddish-brown and can be seen.
• Most importantly, dust mites, larger in quantity, contribute to allergies, particularly their excrement. 
• On the other hand, bed bugs are less in number, classed as parasites and have been known to cause anaphylaxis. 
• Dust mites and their allergens can be minimised with a number of options.
• Bed bugs need to, and can be eradicated with the correct treatment and control. The key is to find them. Read more >>

Minimise infestations

Make sure you wash your bed sheets and pillow cases weekly and your doonas and curtains regularly in hot water.

Vacuum more frequently and if you don't have HEPA filter vacuum, damp cloth the surface.

Dust mite elimination is not a realistic possibility but by making the home or office environment inhospitable, their allergens can be minimised.

• Manage dust
• Use appropriate furnishings
• Low indoor humidity
• Encase mattress, doona and pillows. 
• Clean effectively
• Avoid furry and feathered pets
• Reduce pollen exposure
• See more detailed information >> 

Bed bugs, find them and irradicate by a professional.

In today's environmentally aware community, there is now a natural, green version of almost every cleaning product available.

Article - USA study confirms that indoor air worsens asthma

More people every year report that they have asthma and doctors don't know the reason why.

The study, researched by the Institute of Medicine, were searching for an explanation why asthma rates jumped 75% in the last twenty years.

Doctors suspected environmental causes for the spike in asthma cases. They discussed that, genes that could trigger the illness, would not have evolved quickly enough to cause the dramatic increase in asthma patients.

The research shows evidence that cat dander, cockroaches and dust mites make asthma worse, and that second-hand tobacco smoke worsens symptoms in young children.

Evidence of an association was found for exposure to dogs, mould and fungi and cold viruses, as well as nitrogen dioxide from poorly operating gas appliances. Read more>>

Indoor air pollution and your health

Outdoors, we can see air pollution. Indooors, the air is not as clear as you may think, five to twenty times more polluted than outside. The most polluted environment you are exposed to is inside.

With the increase use and exposure to chemicals in recent years, the rate and number of human illlnesses have increased respectively. Exposure to any level of chemical pollution as well as any percentage of time spent in it, can affect our health.

High levels of air borne pollutants and chemicals are known to be toxic, can weaken the immune system and increase the risk to a wide range of illnesses.

Living in comfortable homes has also contributed to this, trapping gasses and particles in an air tight building, which unbeknowns to most of us, can make us sick. 

We have always needed healthy homes. Throughout history, there have been both, healthy and unhealthy homes. In the latter 20th century though, a number of factors contributed to the increase in unhealthy homes.

At first it was considered odd. People most affected were thought to be the cause of their symptoms themselves, rather than the house itself.

Over time, with knowledge and experience, a relationship developed between chemically hyper-sensitive individuals, indoor toxicity and building related illnesses. At the same time, the combination was becoming ever more increasingly complex.

The effects of low level chemcial exposure and different environmental exposures, on any one of us, has a wide range of sensitivities from one individual to another.

At the same time, building materials vary in off-gassing characteristics depending on constituents, age, temperature, humidity, ventilation, installation method, treatment and other factors. In addition, these products vary from one another in their potential health effects, from no effect and subtle long term changes to immeditate toxic effects.   

Minimse exposure by using less toxic and less expensive products such as in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry. When renovating or building, consider co-operative designs and non toxix to low irritant building materials. 

Fortunately there are actions you can take to minimise exposure