A new method for collecting airborne allergens.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of airborne allergens has hitherto been done with the use of fixed-location pumps or personal air samplers. Our objective was to find out whether ionizers could be good tools for collecting airborne allergens. As a model we have used cat allergen (Fel d l). We have compared Fel d l levels collected by the ionizer at different time periods, as well as comparing Fel d l levels obtained with the ionizer with those of low- and high-volume pumps. METHODS: Dust samples from floors and air samples collected with ionizers and pumps, obtained in 31 homes with cat, 23 homes without cats, and 28 day-care centres, were analysed for cat allergen content (Fel d I) by ELISA. RESULTS: Fel d l was present in the reservoir in all homes with cats, ranging from 660 to 375,000 ng/g (GM 75,000) and in the air collected by the ionizer from 2.0 to 204 ng/24 h (GM 19.3). The allergen in homes without cat varied from < 55 to 1,800 ng/g (GM 166). Corresponding levels in air were found in two of these homes (2.3 and 7.3 ng/24 h). There was a correlation between the number of cats and the amount of airborne cat allergen (r: 0.47; P < 0.05). The levels in day-care centres were < 55 to 3,070 ng/g in dust (GM 360) and < 1.1 to 7.9 ng/24 h in the air (GM 1.6). We obtained a moderately strong correlation between air and dust samples in homes with cats (rs: 0.64; P< 0.001) and in day-care centres (rs: 0.49; P<0.05). We found that a collection period of 24 h is preferable for the ionizer. The intrahome reliability coefficient was nearly two times higher for the ionizer (r: 0.69) than the pump (r: 0.39). CONCLUSIONS: The ionizer seems to be a good tool for monitoring the environment. It is easy to use and silent and does not disturb the airflow in the room.

[The elderly as victims of violent crime]. / Alte Menschen als Opfer von Gewaltkriminalität.

Up to now, victimology has only dealt with partial aspects of the situation of the elderly as victims of violent crime. Nevertheless, the Police Crime Statistics enable us to make the following three basic statements: In general, old people are less likely to become victims of violent crime (than young people). The acts of violence committed against the elderly are mainly ones in which there was a relationship between offender and victim before the offense. Elderly women are disproportionately more often victims of purse snatching. The increasing social isolation of old people constitutes not only a specific form of victimization, it probably also increases their susceptibility to become victims. The theory that old people have "a particularly pronounced fear of crime" cannot be generally proven. This question must be considered from differing points of view and depends largely on the individual vulnerability of the old people. In Germany, there has hardly been any empirical study of violence towards the elderly in institutions and in family households (so-called domestic violence). It is believed that more violence takes place in both than in generally assumed.