Pillows for us are our head support and help us in having a comfortable sleep. But do you know that they can be dangerous enough to kill people. Here’s how
Dangers of Pillows
- Pillows are inhabited by the house dust mite which eats fungi, and there is one theory that the fungi are in turn using the house dust mites’ faeces as a major source of nitrogen and nutrition (along with human skin scales).
- Researchers at the University of Manchester have studied the fungal contamination of our pillows for the first time in seventy years and discovered that these pillows were hot beds of fungal spores. After dissecting both feather and synthetic pillows in regular use between several months and 20 years, they’ve “identified several thousand spores of fungus per gram of used pillow — more than a million spores per pillow.”
- House dust mite allergy is a frequent cause of allergic asthma in children.
- Aspergillus fumigatus, the species most commonly found in the pillows, is most likely to cause disease; and the resulting condition Aspergillosis has become the leading infectious cause of death in leukaemia and bone marrow transplant patients.
Dangers of pillows
Pillows – What to do?
- Polyurethane-covered mattress and bedding encasings are impermeable to allergens but absorb perspiration, allowing the body to “breathe.”
- Hypoallergenic pillows made from polyester fibers are also a good option.
- Encasing pillows with zippered plastic or vapor permeable fabrics.
- Buy allergen-resistant pillow and mattress coverings.
- The more well-sealed the home, the greater potential that allergens will be trapped inside.
- Replace pillows every one to two years, and more frequently for allergy and asthma sufferers.
- Regular laundering of bedding in hot water will combat additional buildup of dust mites in the meantime.
