Duct Cleaning Facts

Nine out of ten air conditioning systems failures are caused by dust and dirt. This is according to the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Services.

When people with a family history of allergy are repeatedly exposed to house dust mite droppings, they can develop a specific allergy to mites. Once allergy is diagnosed and allergic reactions become frequent, then allergic disease can develop. Continued exposure to the mite allergens can then become a trigger for chronic symptoms. Housedustmite.org

Dogs can be strongly allergic to house dust mites too, but the allergens that cause dermatitis in dogs are different from the major mite allergens that affect humans. Dogs react to the enzymes, which act to degrade chitin. Housedustmite.org

Many doctors believe the activity of invading neutrophiles, white blood cells designed to protect damaged lungs from further harm, may be actually prolonging the healing process and that mites may be involved in this process. Neutrophiles, once activated by stimuli, discharge enzymes that can cause further tissue damage resulting in increased inflammation. The most important of these active enzymes is elastase. Exposure to mites has been shown to enhance elastase activity.
Housedustmite.org

Did you know that an average room in your house can collect up to forty pounds of dust per year?

A pinch of dust, said Ann Kennedy, a USDA soil microbiologist based at Washington State University, can harbor 1,000 species of bacteria and up to a million organisms.

Total Health and Better Health magazines state that one out of six people suffer allergies because of bacteria and fungi in air duct systems.

The house dust mite may be an important year-round cause of atopic dermatitis (eczema) and asthma.
Environmental, Health and Safety Online

A typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. (Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings.)
Environmental, Health and Safety Online

Dust can contain lead paint from old walls, traction sand, the rubber from car tires, human-skin scales, soil particles, fungal spores, pollen grains, clothing and carpet fibers, insect parts and the feces of dust mites, which can inspire bouts of itching and asthma.

Dogs and cats can suffer from allergies caused by airborne allergens. These include dust mite feces, fleas, saliva, pollen and mold.

There can be up to 1,000 dust mites crawling around in every square meter of carpet.

They are so light and tiny that they float easily into the air when disturbed by our daily activities. Inhaling these minute particles causes allergic reactions in people and animals.

Dust mites feed off human and animal skin flakes in warm and humid conditions.

Hair itself is not a direct allergen, but when licked acts as a carrier, transporting allergenic particles around the home.

Dust is a mixture of potentially allergenic materials such as dust mites, pollen, fungus, fibres, bacteria, food particles, plant matter, insects and chemicals.

There can be as many as 30,000 of these tiny creatures in one ounce of dust!

Dust mites are attracted to your bed because they live off the skin cells that we all shed each night.

Dirty ventilation systems and contaminated duct work combined are a 50.9% contributor to sick building syndrome.
(Healthy Buildings International)