Objective
To prove the effectiveness of a fabric, zipper or seam as a barrier to the passage of indoor allergen. This test is recommended for fabrics impermeable to air.
Test Description
The fabric, zipper or seam is placed between two glass chambers, one of which contains both house dust (with a known concentration of allergen) and also steel bearings (to simulate the pressure of normal use). The dual chamber device is rotated for 20 hours at 25 rotations per minute. The amount of allergen transferred across the fabric, zipper or seam is then quantified using an ELISA kit specific for the type of allergen being measured.
Customer Benefit
The results generated by this test allows manufacturers and retailers to directly claim the ability of a fabric, zipper or seam to block a number of allergens. 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 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 Derp1 and Feld1 ELISA testing, the SP305 process is not under the scope of accreditation.