Newswise — Hay-fever season is raging in spring, but a recent study supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences shows day care facilities to be a major source of indoor allergens.
Children of parents with allergies are likely to have allergies too, and there are things parents and day care workers can do to help, says Dr. Rebecca S. Gruchalla, associate professor of internal medicine and director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
"While you want day care centers to be warm and inviting, the more sterile the environment, the better," she says. "You want an environment that does not foster the growth of various allergens."
Other tips include:"¢ Have the child wash his or her face and hands after being outside, where pollen allergens are present and not amenable to control."¢ Place Hepa air filters in the room to help reduce the amount of allergens that remain airborne for long periods."¢ Use saline solutions for washing out allergens from the eyes if eye itching is a prominent symptom."¢ Use mattress encasements if there are assigned beds to decrease dust mite exposure.
Parents can watch for other things as well. Water from leaks, for example, can foster mold and can increase dust mites and cockroaches, while carpeting attracts more allergens than tile flooring.
Children with existing asthma often are sensitive to cockroach allergens, so check to make sure cockroaches aren't a problem and check to see that cracks are sealed to prevent bugs from entering.
Outdoors, playing on St. Augustine grass may help, because it does not pollinate while many other types of grasses, such as Bermuda, do pollinate. However, since grass pollen can be carried for long distances, people may still be affected by grass pollen.
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