Objective
To prove the effectiveness of an air-permeable fabric, zipper or seam as a barrier to the passage of indoor allergen.
Test Description
House dust with a known concentration of allergen is pulled across the fabric, zipper or seam by controlled air pressure. A filter located downstream collects any allergen that passes through the test item. The allergen recovered on the filter is extracted and quantified using an ELISA kit specific for the type of allergen being measured.
Customer Benefit
The results generated by this test allow manufacturers and retailers to directly claim the ability of a fabric, zipper or seam to act as an allergen barrier. This test is important because it is misleading to rely on pore size and thread count to demonstrate a fabric’s ability to block allergens. Pore size only loosely correlates with allergen filtration efficacy, and a high thread count fabric may also be poorly constructed, allowing the passage of allergens.
Third Party Validation
On passing this test, the fabric can be labelled as having been tested by airmid in support of any claim relating to the test and data received.
Sample Required
1 square metre of fabric
Turnaround Time
15 working days from receipt of sample
airmid healthgroup ltd. is an INAB accredited laboratory Reg No. 284T for Der p 1 and Fel d 1 ELISA testing, the SP304 process is not under the scope of accreditation.