The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Measurements of microclimates in beds in relation to the climatic requirements of house dust mites

På svenska

Author

Summary, in English

House dust mites are animals of a size less than 0.5 mm that can live in beds, carpets and furniture feeding on skin scales. They are a common source of allergy in, e.g., Scandinavia, where their major habitat is in beds. Previous studies show that in drier environments the house dust mite occurrence is lower, and persons with dust mite allergy have fewer symptoms during the winter when the indoor relative humidity (RH) is low. There have also been attempts to alter the microclimatic conditions in beds to reduce the house dust mite occurrence. The microclimatic conditions in beds have been studied both in field measurements and by modeling but there is still a lack of knowledge of how the hygrothermal material properties of the mattress and bedding affect the environmental conditions for the house dust mites. This paper presents diurnal temperature and RH variations in mattresses and beddings under normal use measured for two different mattress types. The climatic results from the beds have been compared to microclimatic requirements that govern the house dust mite activity levels. This study is a part of a multidisciplinary project aiming to find technical solutions for reduction of house dust mites in bedrooms by environmental control.

Publishing year

2005

Language

English

Publication/Series

[Host publication title missing]

Document type

Conference paper

Topic

  • Materials Engineering
  • Building Technologies

Keywords

  • house dust mites (HDM)
  • bed
  • bedding
  • mattress
  • relative humidity (RH)
  • measurements
  • temperature
  • climatic conditions
  • material properties.

Conference name

7th Symposium on Building Physics in the Nordic Countries, 2005

Conference date

2005-06-13 - 2005-06-15

Conference place

Reykjavik, Iceland

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 9979-9174-6-6