There is a common belief that the more babies and small children are exposed to potential allergens, the more unlikely will they develop allergies later on. This is the same basis for scientific studies reporting that children who live in a farm have less allergies than thos who live in the city. More recently, I also posted an entry about a study saying that dust lowers babies' asthma risk.

However, it seems that this principle is not applicable to all allergens.

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati foound out that infants' exposure to spores of a certain group of mold actually increases their likelihood to develop multiple allergies later in life. In particular, they lay the blame to Penicillium/Aspergillus and Alternaria, and that infants exposed to these molds were more likely to develop allergies to mold, pollen, dust mites, pet dander and certain foods as they grew older.

Air samples were collected for a total of 48 hours in the child's primary activity room and in the child's bedroom during sleep. Samples were analyzed for both total and individual spore counts.

"We found that, at least in children, some fungi may cause allergic sensitization while other fungal types may actually inhibit the development of allergies," explains Osborne.

Uh-oh. So, actually, this might mean that my less-than-stellar housekeeping is nothing to be happy about, afterall.

If you suspect mold in your own home, check out the EPA primer, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, on how to hadle and get rid of them. Other resources about molds may also be found here.

[Photo: AllergyBeGone]