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Research into indoor health announced during networking event with Irish PM.

President Obama had his traditional annual meeting with Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, during a St. Patrick's Day visit in Washington DC. A large number of Irish-American trade related events took place around the visit to highlight the recovery of the Irish economy, with particular focus on the growth of the med-tech and biomedical research sectors with American companies in Ireland.

airmid healthgroup (AHG) was pleased to be among those attending the events. At a business networking lunch Dr John McKeon, Co-Founder of airmid healthgroup was delighted to introduce Joseph Gargiulo representing Stanley Steemer, to the Prime Minister and announce further research in the area of indoor aerobiology and indoor health. A recent airmid study involving Stanley Steemer was presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). The study found the Stanley Steemer deep cleaning process was proven to remove up to 97 percent of surface allergens. The study evaluated air and surface samples taken before and after hot water extraction in 20 U.S. homes. Additional findings revealed successful removal of 67 percent of airborne cat allergens as well. “This scientifically confirms what we’ve heard anecdotally from our customers with allergies and asthma for years,” said Justin Bates, president of Stanley Steemer, “and we are excited about moving into phase two of our research.”

As winter draws in and the temperature drops, the quality of air in our homes can deteriorate. Heating systems are started up, open fires are lit, doors and windows are shut to seal out the cold air - all of these actions can contribute to an increase of allergens and irritants in the air of your home. Sealing our homes may be more energy efficient but unless adequate ventilation is also present this can be to the detriment of our health, especially for those with asthma and upper airway disease. Lack of ventilation may also cause increased moisture levels which together with warm room temperatures give an ideal environment for growth of mold & house dust mites. An asthma & allergy friendly™ certified Air Cleaner can work against these factors to reduce airborne allergens and irritants in your home during these winter months.

This article was prepared by Niamh McKeon. Niamh graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BA (Mod) in Natural Science specializing in Zoology. Niamh manages the testing and certification approval processes in Allergy Standards.

Medical specialists recommend that individuals suffering from asthma and upper airway disease reduce exposure to allergens and irritants in indoor air to the greatest degree possible.

The 2012 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) concluded today having run from November 8th-13th in Anaheim, California. The meeting offered an exciting array of educational sessions for physicians and allied health professionals, as well as some fantastic social events.

The 2012 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology starts today and will run from November 8-13 in Anaheim, California. The meeting will offer an exciting array of educational sessions for physicians and allied health professionals, as well as some fantastic social events.

You can download the full program guide here: http://www.acaai.org/annual_meeting/Documents/ACAAIProgramGuide2012c.pdf

Dr Bruce Mitchell from airmid healthgroup will be presenting data during Session C; Aerobiology on Sunday 11th November at 2:30 pm. The data relates to surface and airborne allergen associated with carpets.

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.

Looking back at the year so far, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Conference has been the stand out event so far. It was held in London in June and over 8,000 delegates attended, ranging from 109 different countries. There were many oral and poster presentations of interest to ASL, particularly in the area of environmental exposure to allergen, including dust mites and pollen.

The message from the asthma & allergy friendly^TM Program is that products that are certified are more suitable for those suffering from asthma and allergies. These products are recommended to be used in a ‘home allergen reduction plan'. But just what is a ‘home allergen reduction plan' and is it really effective?

It is Toy Trade Fair season again and at ASL this is a busy time of the year. Through our certification of a wide range of stuffed toys as asthma & allergy friendly^TM, attendance at these events is of great importance. For a stuffed toy to pass our Certification criteria there are several principles that they need to adhere to (see below). Due to the nature of testing principles where quality of construction and durability are concerned, only toys of the highest quality will be capable of passing testing.