Food allergens in mattress dust in Norwegian homes: a significant source of allergen exposure?

Abstract

Results Fish allergen was found in 46%, peanut in 41%, milk in 39%, and egg allergen in 22% of the mattresses, and only three dust samples contained none of the four food allergens. Milk allergen was more likely to be found in mattresses from beds that are usually made (covered) during the day (53%) than in beds that are not covered during the day (31%), p=0.01. All four food allergens were more frequently detected in small dwellings (<100m 2 ) compared to larger dwellings (≥130 m 2 ). Milk, peanut, and egg allergens were more frequently detected in homes with kitchen and bedroom on the same floor as compared to homes with kitchen and bedroom on separate floors; the adjusted odds ratios were 2.6 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2, 5.7) for milk allergen, 2.6 (95% CI: 1.3, 5.3) for peanut allergen, and 3.1 (95% CI: 1.3, 7.2) for egg allergen. Conclusion Food allergens occurred frequently in beds in Norwegian homes, with dwelling size and proximity of kitchen and bedroom as the most important determinants. To our best knowledge, our study is the first to demonstrate allergens from fish, peanut, egg, and milk to be frequently present in mattresses dust. Because children spend so much time in the bedroom our findings suggest that food allergens in mattress dust may be an important route of exposure.