Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
8
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-11-5
pubmed:abstractText
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.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
0105-4538
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
53
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
755-62
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
A pilot study of the effect of mechanical ventilation and heat exchange on house-dust mites and Der p 1 in New Zealand homes.
pubmed:affiliation
Wellington Asthma Research Group, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, New Zealand.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't