Health Newsfeed # 787
DUST MITES IN PILLOWS
There are times when "Made in America" is more than just a slogan or advertising pitch. It can play a role in whether you get a good night's sleep.
People allergic to dust mites are taking a chance if they lay their heads down at night on a
feather pillow. Dust mites can live off of the dander in chicken feathers, and it's vital that the
feathers be thoroughly cleaned in a processing plant before they're stuffed into a product and
sent to market. Nearly all American feather companies routinely do this, but some foreign
manufacturers do not. It makes a big difference, according to a recent study from Johns Hopkins.
immunologist Dr. Robert Hamilton was lead author.
Try to buy a feather pillow that contains washed
or processed feathers. You have a good chance of getting a clean feather pillow that doesn't
contain dust mite allergen and doesn't elicit symptoms just based on exposure to dust mite
allergens.
Cleaned feathers seem to take care of the problem in most dust-mite allergic people. But if you're still unsure you can always make the whole thing a moot point...by using a synthetic fill pillow instead.
At the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, I'm Tom Haederle reporting.
Copyright 1998 The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved. Allergy & Clinical Immunology
