Common Indoor
Asthma Triggers and Allergens
Some of the most common indoor asthma triggers include
secondhand smoke, dust mites, mold, cockroaches and other
pests, household pets, and combustion byproducts. You may
not be affected by all of these triggers. However, your
doctor can help you to determine which triggers affect your
asthma or may lead to you developing asthma and help you
develop a customized asthma management plan.
Dust Mites
Dust Mites are too small to be seen, but can be
found in almost every home in mattresses and bedding
materials, carpets, upholstered furniture, stuffed toys and
curtains.
What are
Dust Mites?
 Dust
mites are tiny insects that are invisible to the naked eye.
Every home has dust mites. They feed on human skin flakes
and are found in mattresses, pillows, carpets, upholstered
furniture, bedcovers, clothes, stuffed toys and fabric and
fabric-covered items. Body parts and feces from dust mites
can trigger asthma in individuals with allergic reactions to
dust mites, and exposure to dust mites can cause asthma in
children who have not previously exhibited asthma symptoms.
Actions
You Can Take
- Cover mattresses and pillows with dust proof
("allergen-impermeable") zippered covers.
- Wash bedding (sheets, blankets and bedcovers) once
per week in hot water.
- Choose washable stuffed toys, wash them often in hot
water and dry them thoroughly.
- Keep stuffed toys off beds.
- Maintain low indoor humidity, ideally between 30-50%
relative humidity.
- Humidity levels can be measured by hygrometers which
are available at local hardware stores.
- If you are purchasing a home it is strongly
recommended that you have the home tested for the
presence of dust mite allergens (Der p I and Der f I)
Common house dust may contain asthma triggers. When you
are treating your house for dust mites, try these simple
steps as well.
- Remove dust often with a damp cloth.
- Vacuum carpet and fabric-covered furniture to reduce
dust build-up.
- Using vacuums with high efficiency filters or
central vacuums may be helpful.
- People with asthma or allergies should leave the
area being vacuumed.
Molds
Mold can grow indoors when mold spores land on
wet or damp surfaces. In the home, mold is most commonly
found in the bathroom, kitchen and basement.
What are
Molds?
 Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant and animal
matter. Molds can be found almost anywhere; they grow on
virtually any substance when moisture is present.
Molds produce tiny spores to reproduce, just as plants
produce seeds. Mold spores waft through the indoor and
outdoor air continually. When mold spores land on a damp
spot indoors, they may begin growing and digesting whatever
they are growing on in order to survive. Some molds can grow
on wood, paper, carpet, foods and even dynamite.
There is no practical way to eliminate all molds indoors;
the way to control indoor mold growth is to control
moisture. If you think you have a mold problem and can see
mold growth, you do not need environmental testing to
determine what kind of mold you have. Instead, simply clean
the mold from the surface it's growing on and dry the
surface thoroughly.
How Does Mold Affect Asthma?
For people sensitive to molds, inhaling mold spores can
cause an asthma attack, there is new evidence that indicates
exposure to high levels of indoor molds can actually cause
children to develop asthma.
Actions You Can Take
If mold is a problem in your home, you need to clean up the
mold and eliminate sources of moisture.
- Wash mold off hard surfaces and dry completely. Absorbent
materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be
replaced if they are contaminated with mold.
- Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.
- Keep drip pans in your air conditioner, refrigerator and
dehumidifier clean and dry.
- Use exhaust fans or open windows in kitchens and bathrooms
when showering, cooking or using the dishwasher.
- Vent clothes dryers to the outside.
- If you are purchasing a home, or suspect that mold may be
present at high levels in your home, it may be prudent to
have your home inspected and tested.
Maintain low indoor humidity, ideally between 30-50%
relative humidity. Humidity levels can be measured by
hygrometers, which are available at local hardware stores.
Cockroaches and other Pests body parts, secretions and
droppings, and the urine, droppings and saliva of pests,
such as rodents, are often found in areas where food and
water are present.
Cockroaches
 Droppings or body parts of cockroaches and other pests can
trigger asthma. Certain proteins, called allergens, are
found in cockroach feces and saliva and can cause allergic
reactions, or trigger asthma symptoms, in some individuals.
Cockroaches are commonly found in crowded cities and the
southern regions of the United States. Cockroach allergens
likely play a significant role in asthma in many inner-city
areas.
Actions You Can Take
An important key to pest management is to remove places in
your home for pests to hide and to keep exposed areas free
of food and water. But remember, pesticides you may spray to
prevent pests are not only toxic to pests, they can harm
people too. Try to use pest management methods that pose
less of a risk.
Tips to prevent pests:
- Do not leave food or garbage out.
- If you are purchasing a home it is strongly recommended that
you have the home tested for the presence of cockroach
allergens (Bla g I)
- Store food in airtight containers.
- Clean all food crumbs or spilled liquids right away.
- Wash dishes as soon as you are done using them.
- Keep counters, sinks, tables and floors clean and clear of
clutter.
- Fix plumbing leaks and other moisture problems.
- Seal cracks or openings around or inside cabinets.
- Remove piles of boxes, newspapers and other hiding places
for pests from your home.
- Make sure trash is stored in containers with lids that close
securely, and remove trash daily.
- Try using poison baits, boric acid or traps first before
using pesticide sprays.
If sprays are used:
- Limit the spray to the infested area.
- Do not spray where you prepare or store food, or where young
children play, crawl or sleep.
- Carefully follow instructions on the label.
- Make sure there is plenty of fresh air when you spray and
keep people with asthma out of the room while spraying.
- After spraying, the room should be thoroughly aired out.
Domestic
Animals
 Warm-Blooded Pets (such as cats and dogs) skin flakes, urine
and saliva can be found in homes where pets are allowed
inside.About Pets and Asthma
Your pet's dead skin flakes, urine, feces, saliva and hair
can trigger asthma. Dogs, cats, rodents (including hamsters
and guinea pigs) and other mammals can trigger asthma in
individuals with an allergic reaction to animal dander.
Proteins in the dander, urine or saliva of warm-blooded
animals (e.g., cats, dogs, mice, rats, gerbils, birds, etc.)
have been reported to sensitize individuals and cause
allergic reactions or trigger asthma episodes in individuals
sensitive to animal allergens.
The most effective method to control animal allergens in the
home is to not allow animals in the home. If you remove an
animal from the home, it is important to clean the home
(including floors and walls, but especially carpets and
upholstered furniture) thoroughly.
Pet allergen levels are reported to stay in the home for
several months after the pet is removed even with cleaning.
Isolation methods to reduce animal allergen in the home have
also been suggested by reputable health authorities (e.g.,
keeping the animal in only one area of the home, keeping the
animal outside or ensuring that people with allergies or
asthma stay away from the animal) but the effectiveness of
these methods has not been determined. Several reports in
the literature indicate that animal allergen is carried in
the air and by residents of the home on their clothing to
all parts of the home, even when the animal is isolated. In
fact, animal allergen is often detected in locations where
no animals were housed.
Often, people sensitive to animal allergens are advised to
wash their pets regularly. Recent research indicates that
washing pets may only provide temporary reductions in
allergen levels. There is no evidence that this short term
reduction is effective in reducing symptoms and it has been
suggested that during the washing of the animal the
sensitive individual may be initially exposed to higher
levels of allergens.
Thus, the most effective method to control exposure to
animal allergens is to keep your home pet free. However,
some individuals may find isolation measures to be
sufficiently effective. Isolation measures that have been
suggested include keeping pets out of the sleeping areas,
keeping pets away from upholstered furniture, carpets, and
stuffed toys, keeping the pet outdoors as much as possible
and isolating sensitive individuals from the pet as much as
possible.
Actions You Can Take
- If pets are one of your asthma triggers, strongly consider
finding a new home for your pets.
- Keep pets out of the bedroom and other sleeping areas at all
times and keep the door closed.
- Keep pets away from fabric-covered furniture, carpets and
stuffed toys.
- Vacuum carpets, rugs and furniture two or more times per
week.
- If you are purchasing a resale home it is strongly
recommended that you have the home tested for the presence
of cat or dog allergens (Fel d I and Can f I)
Nitrogen
Dioxide
Nitrogen Dioxide is an odorless gas that can be a byproduct
of indoor fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, gas
or oil furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and unvented
kerosene or gas space heaters.
What is Nitrogen Dioxide?
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) can be a byproduct of fuel-burning
appliances, such as gas stoves, gas or oil furnaces,
fireplaces, wood stoves and unvented kerosene or gas space
heaters. NO2 is an odorless gas that can irritate your eyes,
nose and throat and cause shortness of breath. In people
with asthma, exposure to low levels of NO2 may cause
increased bronchial reactivity and make young children more
susceptible to respiratory infections. Long-term exposure to
high levels of NO2 can lead to chronic bronchitis.
Actions You Can Take
- Properly ventilate a room where a fuel-burning appliance is
used and use appliances that vent to the outside whenever
possible.
- Do not idle the car inside your garage.
- Have the entire heating system -- including furnace, flues
and chimneys -- professionally inspected and cleaned
annually.
- Always open the flue on your fireplace before building a
fire to ensure that smoke escapes through the chimney.
- Make sure the doors are tight fitting on your wood-burning
stove and follow the manufacturer's directions for starting,
stoking and putting out the fire.
- Follow the manufacturer's directions for proper fuel use on
unvented kerosene or gas space heaters and keep the heater
properly adjusted.
- Open a window slightly or use an exhaust
fan in the room while using the heater.
- Install and use an exhaust fan over a gas stove and vent it
outdoors.
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ASTHMA
TRIGGERS & INDOOR ALLERGENS