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Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002 Jun
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland,
USA.
BACKGROUND: Individuals with allergies or asthma have had a
long-standing bias against the use of chicken, goose, and duck
feather pillows, comforters, quilts, and mattresses. OBJECTIVE: We
show that raw, unprocessed feathers contain dust-mite allergen
that is removed by washing, and that feather pillows, whether
covered or not, do not internally accumulate dust-mite allergen
when used in mite-infested bedrooms over a 3-month period.
METHODS: Feathers obtained from six companies as unprocessed
feathers (n = 8 batches) and processed feathers (n = 16 batches)
were analyzed for dust-mite (Der p 1 and Der f 1) using monoclonal
antibody-based immunoenzyametric assays with appropriate internal
controls. Five pairs of new feather pillows (one covered and one
uncovered) were placed in five bedrooms with known dust-mite
contamination for 90 days. The pillows were then assayed for mite
content. RESULTS: Dust-mite allergen was detected in 7 of 8
unprocessed feather samples; combined Der p 1 and Der f 1 mean =
524 ng/g, range 152 to 1,850 ng/g, whereas all 17
manufacturer-processed feather samples contained no detectable
dust-mite. Although 4 of 5 bedrooms contained significant
dust-mite allergen (>2,000 ng or Der p 1 and f 1, range 2,500 to
10,300 ng/g), none of the 90-day feather pillows became
contaminated by dust-mite allergen even in the absence of a pillow
cover. CONCLUSIONS: Feathers washed using industrial methods do
not contain detectable dust-mite allergen. Pillows manufactured
with processed feathers, whether encased in a dust cover or not,
do not become contaminated by dust-mite allergen after 90 days of
use in environments containing significant dust-mite allergen
contamination.
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