| Another concern, especially
for those with allergies, is dust mites.
Did you know that...
Dust
mites are found in virtually all homes, no matter how clean.
They live in the dust that accumulates in carpets, fabrics,
upholstery and bedding.
Dust mites are arachnids, not insects they are related to
spiders. They are microscopic, eight legged creatures, 0.3
mm in length, and invisible to the human eye.
A gram of dust from you home (approximately half of a teaspoon)
contains as many as 1,000 dust mites. That same gram of dust
holds 250,000 of their fecal pellets.
A Primary source of dust mite exposure in the home is in
the bedroom, which provides the best conditions,( food &
warmth )for their growth. They are present in mattresses,
pillows, blankets, carpets, upholstery, curtains, and other
similar fabrics.
An average bedroom can be infested by millions of dust mites.
We spend approximately one third of our lives in the bedroom
so we are in close and prolonged contact with dust mites.
Dust mites survive by eating our dead skin cells, which make
up to 80% of household dust. They also live off water vapor,
which we provide for them through perspiring and breathing
approximately one pint per person per night.
A dust mite produces 20 fecal pellets per day that is 200
times its own body weight in feces during its short lifetime.
With millions of dust mites living in one bed this means there
are vast amounts of droppings there. These levels mean that
virtually all dust mite sensitive people will experience problems
as a direct result of the dust mites and these droppings in
their mattress, pillow and other areas of the home.
Research shows that during one nights sleep most people toss
and turn up to 60 or 70 times meaning the dust mite droppings
are frequently expelled into the air from bedding.
Researchers have also discovered that the allergens can then
stay in the air for as long as 2 hours. Once airborne, dried
dust mite droppings are easily inhaled into our airways thus
causing allergic reactions.
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