Dander Resides Where Pets Don't! WOW!

http://www.freep.com/features/living/pets9_20040709.htm



Dander resides where pets don't

Study: Homes without cats, dogs have allergens
July 9, 2004






BY AMANDA GARDNER
HEALTHDAY NEWS




The truth about pet dander is it may be more ubiquitous than you think.

Regardless of whether a dog or cat lives in a residence, virtually all homes in the United States contain dog and cat allergens, a study released Thursday found.

Pet dander was present in almost 100 percent of the homes surveyed, even though dogs and cats lived in only half of those residences.

"Folks' sensitivity to cat and/or dog allergens are in all likelihood going to be exposed to detectable levels of those allergens in their environment regardless of where they live," said Dr. Darryl Zeldin, head of the asthma research program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C. He is senior author of the study, which appears in the July issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Such allergens are believed to contribute to asthma.

The researchers used data from the first National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing, which had been gathered in 1998 and 1999. The surveyors collected vacuumed dust samples from the bed, bedroom floor, living room floor and living room sofa in 831 housing units containing 2,456 people in 75 locations nationwide.

Dog and cat allergens were detected in 100 percent and 99.9 percent of homes, respectively, even though only 49.1 percent in both years actually had pets.

Why would they be found in homes without cats or dogs?

"One explanation is that the cat and dog allergies are transported on clothing," said Samuel Arbes, lead author of the study.

"It's been shown that dog and cat allergens are present in public places -- on bus seats, in taxis, on park benches, in movie theaters, in hospitals and even in the offices of allergists."

It's also possible that a pet lived in the house in the past.

The upshot is that trying to reduce exposure to allergens may not be effective.

"For people who are allergic to dogs and cats, allergen avoidance may be very difficult, and it may be that people who are very allergic to dogs and cats may have to rely on medications as opposed to trying to avoid exposure," Arbes said.