Effects of furniture polish on release of cat allergen-laden dust from wood surfaces

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of furniture polish (FP) on the release of cat allergen (Fel d 1)-laden dust from wood surfaces and decay of Fel d 1 in dust over time. About 2 g of sieved (150 microm screen) allergen-laden dust was introduced as an aerosol into an experimental chamber by a Pitt-3 generator and allowed to settle onto two finished wood surfaces pre-treated with either distilled water (DW) or FP. After 24 h, each surface was vacuumed into separate plastic cassettes loaded with 37 mm diameter, 0.4 microm pore, polycarbonate filters. The recovered dust was weighed, extracted in phosphate-buffered saline, and assayed for Fel d 1 content using a two-site monoclonal antibody ELISA. After vacuuming, the remaining dust on the wood surfaces was wiped up with a water-moistened swab. The dusts were extracted from the swabs and assayed by ELISA for Fel d 1. More Fel d 1 was recovered by vacuuming from DW-pre-treated surfaces than from FP pre-treated surfaces (100% vs. 69 +/- 66%). On the contrary, more residual Fel d 1 (>99.9%) on the vacuumed surfaces was recovered from FP than from DW pre-treated surfaces by wet swabs. The concentration of Fel d 1 in dust did not change significantly at room temperature over 80 days. In conclusion, FP on wood surfaces makes dust stick to the surface, which likely reduces the release of allergen-laden dust from the wood surface. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Re-aerosolization of cat allergen-laden dusts from wood surfaces (e.g. wood floor or furniture) significantly increases the concentration of airborne cat allergens. Our study indicates that exposure to airborne cat allergens might be reduced by surface treatment with commercially available FP because cat allergen-laden dusts stuck more tightly to the wood surface treated with FP.