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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Removal of peanut allergen from common hospital surfaces, toys and books using standard cleaning methods.

Introduction: In children, a diagnosis of peanut allergy causes concern about accidental exposure because even small amounts of peanut protein could trigger an allergic reaction. Contamination of toys, books or other items by peanut butter in areas where individuals have eaten may occur in hospital waiting rooms and cafeterias.

Research Question: Will cleaning with regular household cleaning products or hospital wipes remove peanut allergen from common surfaces?

What they did: Peanut butter was smeared on several; surfaces including table tops, toys and books. The objects were then wiped using a common household wipe. The objects were then tested for the presence of peanut allergen.

The same experiment was performed using 2 different types of hospital wipes.

Results: No peanut allergen was found after wiping with the common household wipes and the hospital wipes.

Conclusions: Common household and hospital cleaning wipes can be used to remove peanut allergen from table surfaces, toys or books.

Regular cleaning of these products or cleaning prior to their use should be promoted to reduce the risk of accidental peanut exposure, especially in areas where they have been used by many children.

Removal of peanut allergen Ara h 1 from common hospital surfaces, toys and books using standard cleaning methods. Wade TA Watson, AnnMarie Woodrow and Andrew W Stadnyk: Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology 2015, 11:4 (23 January 2015)


http://www.aacijournal.com/content/11/1/4