Bengaluru takes the lead in indoor dust pollution: Study

According to the latest findings of the study, though most Indian homes are conditioned to rigorous cleaning practices, a large quantity of harmful dust allergens and dust particles still persist in the houses.

A sample of 150 homes or flats have been selected to identify their level of cleanliness for the different studies in 2018 and 2021 organized by FICCI Research and Analysis Centre (FRAC) as initiated by Dyson. The selected flats were located in different zones of the city starting from Uttarahalli to Richmond Circle including Malleswaram.

For the research, samples were taken from 304 surfaces per house or flat which estimates to 25 grammes of dust which was subjected to further analysis for pollen and spore count, parasites, dust mite and cockroach allergens along with the dog and cat allergens. The four locations per house includes family car, carpet, sofa, and a mattress.

The findings iterate citing the moderately humid to slight warm conditions in “a higher dust mite concentration than Mumbai and that the total fungal count in Bengaluru is higher than any other region”.

The highest fungal and bacterial count were detected in Bengaluru with a bacterial count of 31.39 billion CFU (colony forming units) and 16.93 CFU fungal units.Jonathon McGaughey, Dyson mentioned that the residents of the sample houses cleaned the premises prior to sample collection. The dead skin cells were predominant in the samples which are a feed for the dust mites whose faeces have highly allergic proteins which trigger asthma and any other allergies after inhalation.

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