A Day with AAFA in our Cutting-Edge Facility
We were delighted to welcome distinguished guests to our facilities last week, as we had the privilege of hosting members of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), including President and CEO Kenny Mendez, Sanaz Eftekhari, Chief Business Development Officer at AAFA, and AAFA board member, Alex Buzby. As a designated testing laboratory for the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program, a joint initiative of Allergy Standards and AAFA, our visitors were especially keen to explore the intricacies of our behind-the-scenes operations.
On our day with AAFA, AHG Chief Technical Officer Angela Southey brought the visiting team on a walkthrough of chambers 1-9 and of the laboratories.
Chamber 3 and 4 are generally used for assessing the efficacy of portable air cleaners in removing allergens (e.g. cat, dog or house dust mite), viruses, bacteria. With the use of cutting-edge technology, the number of air changes, as well as the temperature and relative humidity of the two chambers, can be finely controlled. The chambers are supplied with HEPA filtered air via the vents in the ceiling and the contaminated air is filtered and passed out via exhaust vents.
Chamber 3 and 4 are linked by ducting which complies with the ASHRAE 241 requirements for testing the removal of infectious particles. These chambers can also be sealed and work independently of each other. The loop duct inside chamber 3 was customised for a client to test their filters against bacteria.
Chamber 1 houses our automated vacuum test rig, currently used for testing vacuum cleaners in the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program. Chamber 9 which is used for VOC testing of air cleaners as it is very well sealed and is made of low VOC emitting materials. Our smallest walk-in chamber, which is about the size of a car cabin, is used for testing the efficacy of cabin air cleaners against airborne pollen.
The AAFA team was suitably fascinated by the live bed bugs in chamber 2, where they learnt about barrier testing. We provide a comprehensive range of bed bug testing services including:
- Small and Full-Scale Bed Bug Barrier Test
- Bed Bug Bite Proof Test
- Bed Bug Viability Test
- Bed Bug Repellency Test
- Bed Bug Identification Test
All testing is performed on the Cimex lectularius bed bug species in these temperature and humidity controlled chambers. Video footage and imagery of the test can be supplied to clients.
In the allergen lab the team observed the Modified Dust Trap set-up and the ELISA analysis for assessing the efficacy of bedding components to act as barriers to allergens from house dust mite, cat, dog and pollen. The visitors had the pleasure(!) of seeing the live house dust mite cultures which have to be fed on a monthly basis with dried pork liver.
Finally to the virology & microbiology lab. Viruses and bacteria are handled in Class 2 Biosafety Cabinets to minimize any risk of infection. Additionally, (to the relief of the visiting team!) we work only with Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) organisms such as H1N1, Rhinovirus, and S. epidermidis.
Our day with AAFA was an enriching experience for all involved. Guiding Kenny, Sanaz and Alex through our specialized testing facilities allowed us to showcase our innovative chambers and rigorous testing protocols. We look forward to furthering our partnership and driving continued innovation in our shared mission to improve lives through science and research.
