EFFECTS OF VARIOUS VACUUM CLEANERS ON THE AIRBORNE CONTENT OF MAJOR CAT ALLERGEN (FEL-D-1)

Background It has been shown that a vacuum cleaner (VC) can increase a irborne cat allergen levels. This study aimed to compare the degree of leakage of airborne Fel d 1 levels among five different VCs, both und er laboratory conditions and in an apartment with cats. Methods Three of the VCs were marketed as antiallergic: a HEPA filter VC (VC A), a w ater impingement and HEPA filter VC (VC B), and a foam fabric filter V C (VC C). The other two were standard VCs: VC D and VC E, VCs were tes ted in a 20 m(3), airtight, experimental room and in a 53 m(3) living room in an apartment with three cats. Air was sampled with a glass-fib er filter and an impinger at 20 l/min for 30 min before, during, and a fter vacuuming. Airborne Fel d 1 was measured with a two-site monoclon al ELISA assay. Results In the experimental room, no airborne Fel d 1 level was measured before using the VCs. After introducing a dust samp le containing Fel d 1 in the VCs, we found that VCs A, B, and E did no t provoke any increase in airborne Fel d 1. In contrast, VCs C and D s ignificantly increased airborne Fel d 1 levels (GM: 4.9 and 5.3 ng/m(3 ), respectively). In the apartment, all VCs induced an increase in air borne Fel d 1, which was carried by particles greater than 5 mu m. How ever, VCs C and D provoked significantly greater increases in airborne Fel d 1 than VCs A, B, and E (P=0.0001). Conclusions Our results sugg est that: 1) The two VCs with leakage in the experimental room had gre ater leakages in the apartment. 2) In the apartment with cats, all VCs provoked increases in airborne Fel d 1, primarily carried by large pa rticles. 3) Given the increased marketing of ''antiallergic'' VCs, fur ther studies are needed to standardize methods for testing airborne al lergen leakage by VCs.