House‐Dust Mites and Absolute Indoor Humidity

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Abstract
The concentration of house-dust mites (Dermatophagoides spp.) was investigated for 4 seasons in 3 locations in each of 50 Danish apartments. Simultaneously the absolute humidity was recorded and the previously known correlation between mite counts and indoor humidity was confirmed. Apartments which had a low absolute indoor humidity in the winter period (due to low household load of water vapor) did not contain noticeable concentrations of house-dust mites in the summer and autumn despite the fact that the indoor absolute humidity in these apartments could be high enough to allow for a high peak-population of mites. In a temperature climate avoidance measures against house-dust mites should be supplemented at least by a drying out period in the winter, when this process is convenient to perform because of the low outdoor absolute humidity.