Apr. 30, 2001 (Allentown Morning Call) - It's a sobering statistic:
A cubic inch of air inside the home can contain as many as a million
dust particles.
That fact, courtesy of the American Lung Association, probably
comes as no surprise to allergy sufferers who struggle to find relief
from the free-floating particles that can lead to itchy eyes, runny
noses, raw throats and general discomfort.
Fortunately, there are a host of options for creating what the
shelter industry calls "the healthy home." Air purification systems,
non-toxic building materials, lead-free paints, chemical-free
insulations -- all are now widely available, even through some
discount home improvement centers.
And for those who merely want to purify their existing
environments, there are also products for allergy sufferers of all
shapes and sizes.
Those developments are good news to Pam and Tom Shealey of
Zionsville, whose son suffered from such extreme asthma attacks that
their physician prescribed the creation of a "bedroom bubble."
"We had to strip down our son's room," Pam Shealey says. "We had
to rip up some carpets, replace the existing bedding, cover new
bedding with dust-mite protected barriers, cover pillows with special
casings, and keep the room meticulously clean. It's a massive
undertaking."
The Shealeys stop short of following all the recommendations of
their son's doctor, Mark Shampaine of Allentown, for practical
reasons. "If we did everything we were supposed to, our home would
look very different, it would be very time consuming, and it would be
very expensive," she said.
The Shealeys are just one of thousands of families Shampaine
advises on creating a comfortable home environment for his highly
allergic patients.
"What's amazing to most of them is how little allergen it takes to
create a whole lot of symptoms," says Shampaine. What's also amazing,
he says, is how much relief can result fromeven the simplest
measures.
"I always suggest approaching it in stages, beginning with the
room where you spend the most time, which is most likely the
bedroom," Shampaine says. "Take it down to the bare essentials in
order to keep it as dust-free as possible, and then use allergen-
proof encasings on your mattress, boxspring and pillows."
Among the biggest offenders, Shampaine says, is wall-to-wall
carpeting, which is a breeding ground for dust mites, and generalized
dampness, which produces mold spores. The solution for the carpet is,
ideally, to eliminate it. If that's too extravagant an option,
experts recommend daily vacuuming with specially designed vacuum
cleaners equipped with HEPA filters.
For mold, which can be found in basements, attached garages,
bathrooms and any room with damp insulation, the first step is to
locate the offending material and remove it. Very often, as with
insulation dampened by leaky roofs, the cause might not be readily
apparent and may require the services of a professional. A simple,
low-cost alternative can be found in portable, disposable mold traps,
which are readily available through mail order catalogs and specialty
retailers.
Robert Susko Jr. first noticed increased difficulty breathing at
night while he was a student at Penn State University.
"I had allergies my entire life, but they were pretty much under
control," Susko says. "In college, I noticed that they got a lot
worse."
Susko eventually zeroed in on the problem: stuffy, fetid air that
allowed allergens to settle in his dorm room, and an old mattress
that harbored offending dust mites. An air purifier and a mattress
cover helped solve the temporary problem, but Susko knew he was
facing a lifetime of discomfort unless he found long-term solutions.
"I happen to own an older home, and that has its own set of
problems. But even homes built within the last 30 years or so are so
energy-efficient that all the air gets trapped inside, and the EPA
estimates that indoor air is 70 times more polluted than outdoor
air."
Susko started researching solutions and found an increasingly
large number of healthy home products. He eventually opened his own
store, Allergy and Asthma Relief, on Tilghman Street in Allentown. It
sells more than 400 products ranging from simple vent filters to
purifying vacuum cleaners.
He now caters to customers who are searching for affordable
options, which he can help identify through free home appraisals.
"I can go in and make some recommendations, such as humidity
control, heating systems, air purifiers and some other low-cost
measures," says Susko, who practices what he preaches in his own
Allentown home.
For more extreme measures, homeowners might want to consult local
businesses that evaluate indoor air quality, such as Clean Air
Services in Allentown. Through their 20-year-old company, Linda and
Lou Petras have worked in homes throughout the Lehigh Valley and
beyond to help identify problem areas and address them.
They say their primary sources of trouble are filthy air ducts
that spew offending microbes through heating and air systems,
literally spreading them into every corner of the home. The problem,
they say, isn't limited to older, poorly maintained homes.
"We've gone into brand-new homes and found all sorts of debris in
the air ducts left by the workmen -- old lunches, cigarette butts,
bits of plaster, saw dust -- you name it," says Linda Petras. "And
we've gone into older homes and found worse, like dead mice and
bird's nests."
A thorough cleaning not only makes the home's inhabitants breathe
easier, it also saves them money because a clean duct system helps
the filtration system run more efficiently and uses less fuel, Petras
says.
Another add-on is a high-efficiency filter that can cleanse up to
97 percent of the air circulating throughout the home. "We know it
works well, because we've installed them for plenty of customers who
are severely asthmatic and allergic, including some allergists,"
Petras says.
But the work doesn't stop with some basic home improvements, says
Geri Buckwalter, manager of lung health for the Northeastern Chapter
of the American Lung Association.
"It's a constant process of monitoring your environment to stay on
top of all the "triggers' that could be in your home," she says.
"Everything, from the blankets on your bed, the mattresses, the
carpets -- even the stuffed animals in your child's room, could
harbor dust mites that can make it difficult for you to breathe and
sap your physical strength."
Buckwalter, Susko, Shampaine and others suggest the following
steps:
Place all mattresses and pillows in allergen-impermeable covers
and tape over the length of the zipper.
Wash all bedding every week in water that is at least 130 degrees
F.
Don't spend too much time reclining on upholstered furniture.
Remove all carpeting in the bedroom.
Clean up surface dust as often as possible, using a damp mop or
cloth.
Avoid aerosols or spray cleaners in the bedroom and don't clean
when someone with allergies or asthma is present.
If you are allergic and must do the cleaning, wear a face mask and
avoid the use of chemical cleaners.
Remove stuffed animals, and remove any objects under the bed that
can collect dust.
Clean closets regularly, often removing off-season clothing.
Monitor the level of humidity in your home, using a measuring
device, if necessary. Ideally, the home should be maintained at a
humidity level of 35 to 40 percent, experts say. Above that level,
dust mites multiply. Below that, dry air makes it difficult to
breathe. Humidifiers, dehumidifiers and air conditioning can help
control the levels.
Cover all heating vents in the home with electrostatic filters, or
consider replacing a central furnace filter with a permanent
electrostatic filter.
Consider using a HEPA air purifier to aid in the removal of
airborne allergens.
If there is a family pet, don't allow it to sleep or spend most of
its time in the bedroom. Frequent washings also help to reduce pet
dander, and some sprays help to control the dander problem between
washings.
To cut down on mold, make sure that rooms where moisture tends to
accumulate, such as bathrooms, basements, garages, and kitchens, are
well-ventilated. Also, avoid steam-cleaning carpets, which traps
moisture in the padding. Use household cleaners that inhibit mold
growth.
If you are doing home repairs, take the time to search out
building materials that are less toxic than those that are widely
available. Read the products' labels, and avoid those that contain
mercury, benzene, toluene, xylene, methylene, chloride or chlorinated
hydrocarbons.
Be careful when removing old, lead-based paint or when removing
any materials that date from the 1920s to 1972. They may contain
asbestos, a known carcinogen and contributor to lung disease.
Use as many natural cleaning products as possible. Natural Home
magazine estimates that the average household contains 10 gallons of
toxic materials, with the majority coming from cleaning products that
can trigger respiratory flare-ups.
