Airborne Rodent Allergen Levels in Dutch Households: A Pilot Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials & Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Recruitment of Study Participants
2.3. Patient and Public Involvement
2.4. Questionnaire
2.5. Collection of Airborne Dust Samples
2.6. Allergen Extraction
2.7. Measurement of Allergen Levels
2.8. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Prior Determination of Duration of Sampling Period
3.2. Participants and Household Characteristics
3.3. Risk Factors Associated with Detectable Allergens in the House
3.4. Risk Factors Associated with Higher or Lower Allergen Levels
3.5. Relation between Sightings and Detectable Allergens
3.6. Relation between Allergens and Asthma
4. Discussion
4.1. Demographics
4.2. Building Location and Characteristics
4.3. Household Cleaning Habits
4.4. Relation between Mouse Sightings and Allergen Levels
4.5. Pets in the Home
4.6. Exposure to Mouse Allergen and Asthma
4.7. Strengths and Limitations of this Study
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Data Availability Statement
Research Ethics
References
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Demographics of the Population Included in Study | Frequency (n = 80) | % | Utrecht (n = 63) | % | Other (n = 17) | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | ||||||
Male | 24 | 30 | 21 | 33.3 | 3 | 17.6 |
Female | 56 | 70 | 42 | 66.7 | 14 | 82.4 |
Age | ||||||
Between 20 and 40 | 20 | 25 | 13 | 20.6 | 7 | 41.2 |
Between 41 and 65 | 46 | 57.5 | 36 | 57.1 | 10 | 58.8 |
Over 65 | 14 | 17.5 | 14 | 22.2 | 0 | 0 |
Education | ||||||
Lower education | 13 | 16.3 | 8 | 12.7 | 5 | 29.4 |
Higher education | 67 | 83.3 | 55 | 87.3 | 12 | 70.6 |
Smoke indoors (sometimes) (two missing values) | ||||||
Sometimes | 7 | 9 | 4 | 6.6 | 3 | 17.6 |
Participants that suffered from asthma | 9 | 11.25 | 7 | 11.1 | 2 | 11.8 |
Pets at home (yes) (one missing value) | 39 | 49.5 | 28 | 45.2 | 11 | 64.7 |
Cat | 21 | 26.25 | 15 | 24.2 | 6 | 35.3 |
Dog | 11 | 13.75 | 8 | 12.9 | 3 | 17.6 |
Mouse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rat | 1 | 1.25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.9 |
Sightings | ||||||
Cockroaches sightings (yes) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mouse sightings at home (yes) | 32 | 40 | 26 | 41.3 | 6 | 35.3 |
Rat sightings at home (yes) | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3.2 | 6 | 35.3 |
Detectable mouse allergens in the house | 38 | 47.5 | 27 | 42.9 | 11 | 64.7 |
Detectable rat allergens in the house | 3 | 3.8 | 1 | 1.6 | 2 | 11.8 |
Household Characteristics and Reported Cleaning Habits | Frequency (n = 80) | % |
---|---|---|
Distance from home to green area (m) | ||
Less than 250 | 47 | 58.7 |
More than 250 | 33 | 41.3 |
Distance from home to surface water (m) | ||
Less than 250 | 45 | 56.3 |
More than 250 | 35 | 43.7 |
Private garden (yes) | 68 | 85 |
Age of the building | ||
Before 1920 | 28 | 35 |
Between 1920–1960 | 32 | 40 |
After 1960 | 20 | 25 |
Type of dwelling | ||
Terraced house | 51 | 63.7 |
Other | 29 | 36.3 |
Floor of the living room | ||
Below ground or ground floor | 63 | 78.7 |
First floor or higher | 17 | 21.3 |
Type of floor in the living room | ||
Smooth (tiles, parquet, laminate) | 61 | 76.3 |
Other | 19 | 23.7 |
Insulated living room floor (yes) | 41 | 51.2 |
Double glazed windows (yes) | 65 | 81.3 |
Ventilation | ||
Through a ventilation grid (yes) | 28 | 35 |
Through an open window (yes) | 41 | 51.2 |
Through an open exterior door (yes) | 50 | 62.5 |
Mechanical ventilation system (yes) | 26 | 32.5 |
Household conditions | ||
Water damage or leakage (yes) | 7 | 8.8 |
Mildew or mould spots (yes) | 16 | 20 |
Smell of mildew or mould (yes) | 9 | 11.3 |
Usage of cleaning agents (sometimes) | ||
Bleach/chlorine | 60 | 75 |
Ammonia | 18 | 22.5 |
Acids, liquid descaler | 45 | 56.3 |
Solvents | 35 | 43.8 |
Furniture polish | 9 | 11.3 |
Cleaning spray | 65 | 81.3 |
Degreasing sprays | 52 | 65 |
Polishes or wax for the floor or furniture | 48 | 60 |
Multipurpose cleaner | 50 | 62.5 |
High frequency of cleaning habits (more than 1x per week) | ||
Cleaning in general | 49 | 61.2 |
Vacuuming | 56 | 70 |
Sweeping | 35 | 43.8 |
Dusting | 30 | 37.5 |
Wet cleaning of the floor | 21 | 26.2 |
Univariate Analysis | Multivariate Analysis (All Cases, n = 80) | Multivariate Analysis (Cases in Utrecht only, n = 63) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variables * | Exp(B) OR | 95% C.I. for EXP(B) | Sig. | Exp(B) OR | 95% C.I. for EXP(B) | Sig. | Exp(B) OR | 95% C.I. for EXP(B) | Sig. | |||
Lower | Upper | lower | Upper | lower | upper | |||||||
Less than 250 m from green area | 2.17 | 0.87 | 5.26 | 0.097 | 5.56 | 1.59 | 20.00 | 0.008 | 7.25 | 1.41 | 37.04 | 0.018 |
Less than 250 m from surface water | 0.50 | 0.20 | 1.22 | 0.130 | 0.24 | 0.07 | 0.84 | 0.025 | ||||
House built before 1920 | 0.77 | 0.24 | 2.46 | 0.658 | 6.11 | 1.20 | 31.17 | 0.03 | ||||
House built between 1920–1960 | 0.35 | 0.11 | 1.11 | 0.074 | ||||||||
House built after 1960 | 1 | |||||||||||
House has a private garden | 0.89 | 0.26 | 3.03 | 0.851 | 7.00 | 0.68 | 71.66 | 0.10 | ||||
Living room floor is insulated | 2.04 | 0.84 | 4.99 | 0.116 | 3.28 | 1.04 | 10.36 | 0.042 | 13.25 | 2.52 | 69.57 | 0.002 |
Living room is ventilated by an open window | 3.13 | 1.25 | 7.80 | 0.015 | 6.10 | 1.89 | 19.71 | 0.002 | 7.65 | 1.51 | 38.91 | 0.014 |
Smell of mildew/mould in the last 12 months | 1.44 | 0.36 | 5.81 | 0.609 | ||||||||
Furniture polish used | 0.51 | 0.12 | 2.22 | 0.373 | 0.11 | 0.01 | 0.81 | 0.03 | ||||
Multipurpose cleaner used | 0.90 | 0.05 | 14.95 | 0.943 | ||||||||
Degreasing spray used | 1.07 | 0.43 | 2.68 | 0.888 | ||||||||
Solvents used | 0.88 | 0.36 | 2.13 | 0.778 | ||||||||
Dusting at least once a week | 1.17 | 0.47 | 2.91 | 0.729 | ||||||||
Vacuuming at least once a week | 1.40 | 0.53 | 3.68 | 0.495 | ||||||||
Wet cleaning of floor at least once a week | 2.21 | 0.80 | 6.14 | 0.128 | ||||||||
Mouse sightings in the last 12 months | 2.23 | 0.90 | 5.56 | 0.085 | 2.90 | 0.888 | 9.46 | 0.078 | 4.78 | 1.14 | 20.06 | 0.033 |
Cat as pet | 0.25 | 0.08 | 0.79 | 0.017 |
Univariate Analysis | Multivariate Analysis (All Cases, n = 80) | Multivariate Analysis (Cases in Utrecht only, n = 63) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variables * | GMR | 95.0% Confidence Interval for GMR | Sig. | GMR | 95.0% Confidence Interval for GMR | Sig. | GMR | 95.0% Confidence Interval for GMR | Sig. | |||
Lower | Upper | Lower | Upper | Lower | Upper | |||||||
Less than 250 m from green area | 1.14 | 0.79 | 1.75 | 0.430 | 1.43 | 1.20 | 1.93 | 0.001 | 1.65 | 1.38 | 2.32 | 0 |
Less than 250 m from surface water | 0.89 | 0.60 | 1.27 | 0.476 | 0.73 | 0.54 | 0.88 | 0.003 | 0.77 | 0.54 | 0.95 | 0.021 |
House built before 1920 | 1.06 | 0.76 | 1.49 | 0.692 | ||||||||
House built between 1920–1960 | 0.85 | 0.60 | 1.15 | 0.256 | ||||||||
House built after 1960 (= reference) | 1.00 | |||||||||||
House has a private garden | 0.84 | 0.46 | 1.26 | 0.278 | ||||||||
Living room floor is insulated | 1.03 | 0.70 | 1.52 | 0.850 | 1.23 | 1.00 | 1.65 | 0.048 | ||||
Living room is ventilated by an open window | 0.90 | 0.59 | 1.31 | 0.536 | 1.28 | 1.06 | 1.67 | 0.014 | ||||
Smell of mildew/mould in the last 12 months | 0.89 | 0.47 | 1.43 | 0.481 | 0.81 | 0.46 | 1.01 | 0.053 | 0.78 | 0.34 | 0.91 | 0.021 |
Furniture polish used | 0.99 | 0.49 | 1.97 | 0.961 | 0.77 | 0.41 | 0.90 | 0.013 | ||||
Multipurpose cleaner used | 0.73 | 0.11 | 1.03 | 0.057 | 0.81 | 0.23 | 0.97 | 0.042 | ||||
Degreasing spray used | 0.75 | 0.49 | 1.04 | 0.076 | 0.82 | 0.63 | 1.00 | 0.053 | ||||
Solvents used | 0.82 | 0.55 | 1.16 | 0.222 | 0.76 | 0.56 | 0.93 | 0.013 | ||||
Dusting at least once a week | 0.64 | 0.43 | 0.86 | 0.006 | 0.68 | 0.47 | 0.84 | 0.003 | ||||
Vacuuming at least once a week | 0.93 | 0.59 | 1.4 | 0.669 | 1.22 | 0.95 | 1.75 | 0.1 | ||||
Wet cleaning of floor at least once a week | 0.74 | 0.48 | 1.03 | 0.072 | ||||||||
Mouse sightings in the last 12 months | 1.11 | 0.77 | 1.63 | 0.552 | 1.20 | 0.96 | 1.55 | 0.09 | 1.22 | 0.98 | 1.65 | 0.071 |
Cat as pet | 1.05 | 0.61 | 1.9 | 0.787 |
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Burt, S.A.; Parramon Dolcet, L.I.; Wouters, I.M. Airborne Rodent Allergen Levels in Dutch Households: A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3736. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193736
Burt SA, Parramon Dolcet LI, Wouters IM. Airborne Rodent Allergen Levels in Dutch Households: A Pilot Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(19):3736. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193736
Chicago/Turabian StyleBurt, Sara A., Lidia I. Parramon Dolcet, and Inge M. Wouters. 2019. "Airborne Rodent Allergen Levels in Dutch Households: A Pilot Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 19: 3736. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193736