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Where does house dust come from?

April 30, 2003


Dear Allergy Nurse

Where does all the house dust come from original? Is it from carpet or is it from vent while heating the house? Is it from hard floor? I desperately need to know exactly where the dust mite come and enter the house and rooms. Because the house dust accumulates each week. Is the house dust shorten our lifespan? -- Rey, California

I grew up in the country, and associated dust with dirt roads, soil cultivation, and farm life. I assumed that in the city dust would not be such a problem. But it didn't take me long to find out that dust is everywhere!

My daughter was raised in the city, yet when she was little, she once prayed "Thank you for making us out of the yard." This was after hearing the Biblical story of creation ("The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground...Genesis 2:7"). Not unlike my daughter and myself, many people think of dust as being dirt that gets into our homes from the yard.

We've all seen that thick layer of dust that forms quickly if a window is open near a dusty road. Sealing our homes from outside certainly helps alleviate that dust. But dust is present in even the most air-tight home.

One only has to watch the particles that float in a ray of sunshine to realize that just by opening the door to enter the house, dust can enter also. Dust can be brought in on shoes and clothing, or other items we bring into the house.

But there is another source of dust that we often don't consider. Dust is FORMED inside our homes.

It helps to consider the composition of dust. Dust is composed of animal and human dander, sloughed-off skin cells, mold spores, food and plant fibers and residue, insect parts, pollens, and other minute particles.

For allergy sufferers, one of the biggest dust problems is the contribution that our own bodies make to the dust problem. Dead skin cells are a favored food for dust mites. Not only are pieces of dead skin cells present in dust that settles on furniture, but they are also present in our mattresses, carpets, upholstered furniture, and drapery.

One of the most common allergens is the excrement that comes from dust mites that eat these dead skin cells. You guessed it, that excrement becomes part of dust also! As these dust mites die, their remains are also added to dust.

Add to that powdery mold spores that may develop inside our homes, dried flakes from plant and vegetable material, "fuzzies" from fabric, etc.

Anything we bring into our homes, such as wood for fireplaces, clothing that can produce lint, or cardboard and paper that can crumble or produce fine particles when torn can contribute to the dust "population."

As the dust circulates through the ventilation system and air ducts in our homes, it can become trapped, then be slowly dispersed back into the air.

Can dust shorten our lifespan? God made us very hardy. Our lungs are equipped to filter out an enormous amount of impurities. We inhale pollutants every day, yet we continue to thrive.

However, we all know the stiffling sensation of being unable to breathe in a cloud of dust. Depending on what the dust in question is composed of, it only makes sense that some dust would be more dangerous than other dust. Repeated exposure to some forms of dust can certainly cause serious illness. For example, "black lung disease" is a disease that many coal miners in my area have experienced due to repeated exposure to coal dust.

It is important to breathe clean air. Using quality filters on furnaces and air conditioning units can remove large particles from the air. But these alone are not enough. HEPA air cleaners can remove minute particles to keep our air pure and clean. Our sponsor, National Allergy Supply, has provided some great tips on choosing the right HEPA air cleaner here.

Our lungs were made to last a lifetime. But if we want to get the most of that time, we should maintain a good indoor air quality.


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Working to help you,

Your Allergy Nurse

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References:

  1. Composition of dust, NEWTON BBS Ask a Scientist service, Division of Educational Programs, U.S. Government.
  2. Dust studies in southern Nevada and California deserts, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S Department of the Interior.
  3. How our lungs work, American Lung Association.