Classroom dust to be analysed in fight against asthma

Dust in school classrooms is to be analysed in a nationwide study to fight asthma and other allergies.

Ireland has 470,000 asthma sufferers – the fourth-largest number in the world and over 80% of children with allergic asthma are sensitive to house dust mites which exist in every household.

Over half of the 7,000 asthma-related hospital admissions in the country every year are for children under 14.

The Asthma Society of Ireland (ASI) has now teamed up with vacuum cleaner giant Dyson to analyse dust mites in randomly selected schools.

The results should give an insight into how children are exposed to allergies in classrooms, where they spend up to 30% of their day.

Dr Pat Manning, chairman of ASI’s medical committee said: “This study will help us raise awareness around asthma and devise strategies to treat the condition and reduce its occurrence in Ireland.”

A Dyson spokesperson added: “Dust samples from the school classrooms will be analysed for allergens such as house dust mites and moulds. This will give an insight into the role of allergen exposure in the school environment, where children spend 25-30% of their day.”

Dust created by the minute droppings and decomposing body parts of the dust mite insect are the biggest cause of allergic reactions. The mites exist in every household and feed on human skin cells.

Dyson will also allow access to its research facilities and scientific expertise in the UK for the survey.

“Ongoing research will hopefully lead to a better insight into how to manage asthma and other allergies,” the Dyson spokesperson added.

Between 80 and 100 people die each year from asthma and one-third of these are under 40.

Dyson already manufactures a number of anti-allergy vacuum cleaners which are approved by the ASI and the British Allergy Foundation.

The firm has already carried a similar international study – the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).