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The often quoted statistic that according to the USA EPA we spend over 80% of our time indoors, and that indoor air quality can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air has new relevance with some recent changes in the indoor ecosystem. The constant drive for energy efficiency can have a negative impact on indoor air quality and recent publications about the issue of ultrafine particles is bringing air quality in the built environment under the spotlight. Consumers are reenergised about the right to breath ‘fresh air indoors’ and consumer products such as electrical appliances and cleaning services are coming under scrutiny. However there is a tool industry can use to fight back and that is large climate controlled environmental test chambers. Angela Southey is manager of one of the few aerobiology test facilities of its kind in the world which combines an environmental test chamber with state of the art air sampling, microbiology, molecular biology and measurement of airborne allergens.

This article has been written in Q and A format following an interview with Angela Southey PhD at the test facility at airmid healthgroup and is a hugely informative interview on the subject.

Dr Southey what is an environmental test chamber?

The New York Times recently published an article in its health section on the problem of ultrafine particles following a recent study published out of Australia. The study has raised serious concerns as to the safety of many of today’s most popular vacuum cleaners but is it confined to vacuum cleaners?

    by Dr Bruce Mitchell, CEO Airmid Healthgroup and Consultant Immunologist

That the emission of ultrafine particles from certain Vacuum Cleaners which incorporate HEPA based filtration can result in consumers being exposed to bacterial fragments, and other noxious particulate materials is of concern and some surprise.

However, recognising that the composition of household dust includes bacteria, viruses, mold and toxins, and with a knowledge of their associated particle sizes, perhaps it should not be surprising.

The 11^th World Filtration Congress starts today and will embrace the whole spectrum of filtration and separation technologies from around the world for five days from 16^th- 20^th April 2012.

It will be held in Graz, a Unesco World Heritage Site.  It is the largest and most important Filtration Event in 2012 world-wide.

http://www.wfc11.at/index.htm

Exhibitors from the world-wide filtration and separation industry, manufacturers of particle measurement instruments as well as related industries will feature the latest innovations and technology. Airmid Healthgroup will be there joining the debate on Airborne Infectious Agents, Aerobiology Research and Ultrafine particles.

The story of how we helped Spring Air Develop World’s First asthma & allergy friendly Certified Mattress

Now that the Spring Air certified matrasses are available through the Costco web site and all three press releases have gone out on the wires I thought it would be a great time to update the blog about this fascinating research and design success story between Spring Air and Airmid.

As we are a research facility for consumer products that impact on a healthy indoor environment, we were the natural choice to collaborate with to provide advanced research & design advice during the prototype and commercialization stages for Spring Air’s new-generation of Breathe™ mattresses.

Significant media interest in Carpet and IAQ study from US Immunology Conference

There was a huge amount of interest during the recent presentation of data of a research and innovation project carried out in the Airmid Healthgroup state of the art climate controlled test chambers by Dr Angela Southey one of the lead researchers on the project.

The findings related to indoor air quality and carpets and utilized airmid’ s uniquely integrated facility which combines molecular biology and state-of-the-art air sampling in a highly developed AC-1 chamber, where they can follow nominated viruses, bacteria, molds or other ultra-fine particles as they become air-borne and are distributed throughout the chamber.

It’s that time of year again and Orlando Florida hosts the American Academy of Asthma Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting this year from March 2-6. The AAAAI Annual Meeting draws the allergy and immunology specialty's academic and clinical leaders to showcase new research and discuss other developments in allergy, asthma and immunologic diseases. The meeting is attended by more than 7,700 allergist/immunologists, related physicians, allied health professionals and industry representatives.

Did you know?

• The US National Institutes of Health and the Centres for Disease Control have both recently highlighted the sharp rise in incidence of allergies and asthma in America.
• Nearly 70% of USA households are affected by asthma & allergies

There are many legal pitfalls when testing textiles for allergy claims and confusing terms like ‘hypo-allergenic’ and ‘dust mite proof’ can make it harder.
This industry report will assist you in deciding which path to take as a textile manufacturer and will save you time and money in product development.

Allergy Standards Limited operate the asthma & allergy friendly^TM Certification Program in America, Canada, Ireland and the UK. These Programs are operated in partnership with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the Asthma Society of Canada, the Asthma Society of Ireland and Asthma UK respectively. It is designed to act as a signpost for consumers to direct them towards products that have been scientifically tested to prove that they are more suitable for those suffering from asthma and allergies. The product areas that are selected for testing are those that have the potential to make a real impact on the lives of these people.  Testing standards are then written to determine the products' performance in key areas.

In the last 6 months, we are proud to announce that we have written, and received approval for, 3 new test standards and 2 Addenda to existing standards.

ASP:10:03/101 - Certification of Portable Air Conditioners - tests air conditioners based on their ability to control thermal comfort as well as allergen removal capability and particulate control.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently released a report on Health Statistics for those with asthma; it makes for quite stark reading.

The Pro-Safe Report was released earlier this year and makes for very interesting reading. It was a joint market surveillance action on toys, co-ordinated by the Product Safety Enforcement Forum of Europe. The aim of the action was to investigate the safety of toys on the market that have been tested and certified as being EN-71 compliant (Part 1 and 3). Conformance to EN-71 was judged on the basis of testing of small parts and magnets, as well as of trace heavy metals.