JenniferSpartzAnnotation8MouseandCockroachAllergens

Annotation 8 Mouse and Cockroach Allergens in the Dust and Air in Northeastern United-States Inner-City Public High Schools This article was written by J.L. Chew, J.C. Correa, and M.S. Perzanowski. All three are from the Department of Environmental Health Services and associated with studies at Columbia University. They are associated with a prominent school and appear to be well educated in studies of healthy environments. This article discusses a study of mouse and cockroach allergens in 11 high schools in the Northeast. It was designed since kids are known to spend large portions of time in school, and the schools themselves may be contributing to the exposure of asthma triggers in kids. Past studies have indicated that “cockroach and mouse allergen intervention strategies have been mainly focused on the home environment” (Chew 228). While studying the home is important, kids do not spend all of their time there, so it makes sense to study other places that may contribute to their exposure to triggers. The test conducted focused on mouse and cockroach allergens as both had been seen in schools. The schools tested had many varying factors such as age, number of stories, and relativity to commercial zones. Multiple dust samples were collected within the school, at least one on every floor of the building or in every wing. However, no kitchens or cafeterias were tested. Beyond this, the teachers selected five responsible students that would test their air at home overnight as well as in the school throughout the school day. It was discovered that there was a low amount of mouse allergen in the air as it was pretty much below the limit of detection. However, by changing the way the studies of the samples were conducted it was seen that 81% of the samples had detected at least some mouse allergen while 78% of classrooms had high mouse allergen levels at least once. “Cockroach allergen was detected in 71% of the samples and 95% of the classrooms on at least one occasion” (230). Overall, it was seen that the season of collection may have affected the allergen levels in the sample. In the spring for instance, mouse allergen levels were high, while cockroach levels were low. In the fall the numbers were reversed. This is not a sure thing simply because the application of pesticides may have affected the numbers. It also appeared that the more classrooms a school had (not necessarily the larger schools), the fewer mice were in the building. It was also seen that the floor of the building tested did not have any effect on the number of allergens found. The National Inner City Cooperative Study showed that more children were allergic to mice if the levels of allergen were above 1.6 µg/g, and this study showed that the median allergen levels given off by mice was 2.0 µg/g and 10 of the 11 schools had at least 1 classroom above that level. While the level in schools is not nearly as much as occupational settings, it is still dangerously high and exposing children to a large amount of asthma triggers. There is also a high amount of exposure to cockroaches which is a known risk factor of asthma. Even after this test, the comparison of exposures of allergens between schools and homes is not conclusive. There were limitations in how many and which students tested their homes. Also since the tests at school vary between kids walking around in school testing the air and the dust samples in specific classrooms it becomes hard to compare the two. It was not possible to find the properties of schools that contributed to higher allergen levels due to the fact there were so many variables between the schools tested. The expertise of the writers is showing when they admit this study is not conclusive therefore not capable of being generalized to fit other schools due to the number of variables. The trend this study followed was the growing interest in other places children frequently visit to study for the possibility of asthma triggers. This study relates to the shared questions as it talks of asthma research developing more in the schools. While the knowledge of these buildings used to be very limited, more literature is becoming available as more people recognize that schools have the potential to expose high levels of allergens to kids.

Citation: Chew, J.L.; Correa, J.C.; Perzanowski, M.S. “Mouse and Cockroach Allergens in the Dust and Air in Northeastern United-States Inner-City Public High Schools”. Indoor Air. 2005. 15(4)