Eww of the Day

This NYT story about dust mites reminds me why I generally choose not to think about them.

1. They're gross
2. They're not dangerous unless you have a severe allergy

Since thinking about them makes me feel itchy, and there's no real reason to worry about them considering that as far as I know I'm not allergic, I conclude that the best policy is simply not to devote attention to the topic.

Consider:

Dust mites are microscopic creatures, about 0.4 millimeters in length, that feast on flakes of human skin. Their feces contains a substance called DerP1, a very potent allergen. People who are allergic to dust mites may have asthmalike symptoms, eczema or chronic sinus problems.

Ick, right? And yet, though some people (although, in all honesty, no one I know does this) think that bedding needs to be regularly replaced to keep the mite population down:

People who have allergies to dust mites should indeed take measures to protect themselves. But everyone else can skip the expensive trips to Linens “R” Us.

Skip something expensive? In exchange for the minor effort of thinking about something else instead of succumbing to feelings of disgust at the thought of drifting off to sleep surrounded by colonies of tiny munching creatures? Done and done.

It's not like I was planning to use those skin flakes for anything. Really, I should be pleased they're being put to good use by something. It's all part of the circle of life!

The teeming, crawling, shedding, oozing, disgusting, disgusting circle of life.

Sweet dreams, everyone. Don't lets get started on the eyelash mites.

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