FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · Dublin, Ireland · 31 May 2011
Airmid Healthgroup Launches Allergen Barrier Test with Airflow for Textile Manufacturers and Retailers
Dublin, Ireland — Airmid Healthgroup has made available a direct allergen barrier test that for the first time gives bedding and textile manufacturers a reliable, scientifically validated method for substantiating allergen blocking claims on consumer products. The Allergen Barrier Test with Airflow overcomes the significant limitations of existing industry approaches, providing quantified, repeatable allergen filtration data that can be cited directly in product labelling and marketing claims.
Why existing test methods fall short
Pore size and thread count remain the most widely used proxies for allergen barrier performance in the textile industry — yet neither reliably predicts how a fabric performs against biological allergens. Pore size only loosely correlates with allergen filtration efficacy, with Van der Waals forces and allergen conformation both influencing outcomes independently of pore geometry. A high thread count fabric may also be poorly constructed, allowing allergen passage that a pore size measurement would not detect.
For retailers and manufacturers, the consequence is claims that cannot withstand independent scrutiny — an increasing commercial and regulatory risk as consumer awareness of allergen labelling standards grows.
About the Allergen Barrier Test with Airflow
The test uses house dust with a known, controlled concentration of Dust Mite allergen (Der p 1) and Cat allergen (Fel d 1), drawn across the test fabric by airflow. A downstream filter captures any allergen that passes through, which is then extracted and quantified using allergen-specific ELISA kits. The result is a precise, reproducible filtration efficiency measurement — expressed as a percentage and directly citable in labelling, technical files, and marketing materials.
The methodology also captures direct airflow measurement through the fabric — a critical parameter for breathability and comfort claims that pore size testing cannot provide.
“The Allergen Barrier Test with Airflow gives manufacturers and retailers something they have not had before — a direct, quantified, independently verified measure of allergen filtration performance that holds up in any commercial or regulatory context. For companies serious about the claims they put on pack, this changes what’s possible.”
Angela Southey, Chief Technical Officer, Airmid Healthgroup
About Airmid Healthgroup
Airmid Healthgroup is a physician-founded, independent research and testing organisation whose scientific standards are accepted by leading asthma and allergy foundations in North America and Europe, including the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). With core expertise in preventing ill health caused by indoor air pollutants, Airmid scientists evaluate the complex biological, chemical, and physical properties of textiles and consumer products — providing manufacturers and retailers with claim validation, certification support, and independent testing across allergen detection, dust mite research, virology, microbiology, and mycology. Airmid Healthgroup conducts all testing and research for the Asthma & Allergy Friendly® Certification Program.
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For full technical details on our testing methodology, see Allergen Barrier Test with Airflow or read our in-depth article on allergen barrier testing and textile claim verification.
