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.
Dr Bruce Mitchell from airmid healthgroup presented the study “Quantification of the Impact of Cleaning on Surface and Airborne Allergen Associated with Carpets” during Session C; Aerobiology on Sunday 11th November at 2:30 pm in Room 303CD of the Anaheim Convention Center. The moderators for the session were Joseph A. Bellanti, MD, FACAAI and Michael R. Nelson, MD, PhD, FACAAI. The presentation went extremely well with a number of doctors even following it live on Twitter (#ACAAI)!
The study examined a long held belief that carpets adversely impact allergy and asthma sufferers. The study was commissioned to determine if the often-made recommendation from healthcare providers to remove carpets for allergen avoidance purposes is in fact the most appropriate advice. The main take home message is that well maintained and effectively cleaned carpets are a potential choice in the homes of families impacted by asthma and allergies. Further research is required to optimize cleaning regimes.
There was a large amount of interest in the project and Dr Mitchell gave a number of media interviews afterwards.
The study was conducted in airmid healthgroup’s uniquely integrated facility, which combines molecular biology and state-of-the-art air sampling in highly developed environmental test chambers. This means that we can follow nominated viruses, bacteria, molds or other ultra-fine particles as they become airborne and are distributed throughout the chamber.
‘We were delighted with the feedback on the study during the ACAAI event and there has already been a lot of pick-up on the key messages” said Dr Mitchell.
The airmid heathgroup Mission
To help our clients with products and services for the built environment to improve their customer offerings through health related innovations and marketing. To create value through a number of collaborative strategies including field research, environmental test chamber studies and licensing our own intellectual property. By specialising in studying how allergens, viruses, and other ultra-fine particles spread illness and disease in buildings we are a leading authority in aerobiology and bio-medical research. Our clients succeed by making the built environment as healthy as possible.
Related links
ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting