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Air duct cleaning -- promoted as a service to help prevent allergies caused by dust mites and pets -- appears to be unnecessary, because the ducts that deliver conditioned air throughout a house are almost free of the substances that cause allergic reactions.
Air duct cleaning has been widely promoted as being beneficial, but there were no data of which we know. Investigators checked for dust mites using the highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. But when the air ducts of uncleaned homes were tested, only 2 of the 27 samples showed dust mite allergen at the 0.5 microgram per gram of dust threshold of detection. An allergen level below 1 microgram per gram of dust is considered too low to cause allergic reactions.
Ducts are not suitable for mite growth because they are dry and there is a constant air flow. Air duct cleaning appears to be of limited value in reducing animal allergen levels in homes, and would not be recommended as a method for controlling mite allergen exposure.
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting March 5, 2000
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