It started, as it so often does, with a phone call, Mrs.
Piffleton calling to schedule the annual spring-cleaning of the
carpets. She informed me, almost smugly, that there would be no
need to clean the upstairs bedrooms and hall. Those previously
carpeted areas were now covered by bright new laminate flooring
at the behest of her son’s allergist, who is convinced that
carpets are a prime contributor to the asthma and allergy woes
of said son. That seems to be a popular view of many allergists
today, even though scientific reviews and anecdotal evidence
would seem to indicate otherwise. The first major indications
that carpet may not be a “bad actor” came from Sweden where use
of “fitted” carpets was discouraged starting in the ‘70s due to
concerns about asthma and allergies from the carpets. Carpet had
a market share of 40 percent in the ‘70s; it would sink to 2
percent of market by 1992. This precipitous decline in carpet
usage was accompanied by an equally precipitous increase in
asthma and allergy-related