January 2011
In a world first, Wellman International’s sensifil™ range of Polyester fibres, has been Approved as asthma & allergy friendly™ by certification body Allergy Standards.
“We are delighted to have our sensifil™ Range of Polyester fibres tested & approved as asthma & allergy friendly™ by airmid health laboratories, and recognised by International Certification body Allergy Standards” says Celene Rafferty, Product Manager at Wellman International. “We understand the importance of validating our health claims through a third party testing laboratory and are committed to supplying our customers with products supported by gold standard science”.
“We spend approximately 1/3 of our lives sleeping, during which time we may be exposed through skin contact and inhalation to chemicals used in textile manufacture”, says Dr John McKeon, CEO, Allergy Standards. “Consumers & Retailers demand the products they purchase, and the components they comprise of are safe and healthy to use. We provide this reassurance through the independent, scientific testing of components and recognise suitable products by awarding the asthma & allergy friendly™ Component Approval Mark”.
Airmid healthgroup are the officially recognised testing laboratory for the International asthma & allergy friendly™ Certification Programmes, which are run in partnership between Allergy Standards Limited and premier asthma & allergy patient advocacy associations in USA, Canada and the UK. The aim of these programmes is to identify products that consumers can trust have been subject to rigorous testing to determine their relative suitability for people with asthma and allergies. The Certification Mark recognises responsible manufacturers that have chosen to validate product health claims, especially in the area of asthma & allergy, and serves to assist consumers identify these products easily at retail.
Up until recently manufacturers could only test and certify finished products as asthma & allergy friendly™. However, with the trend for companies to produce increasingly bespoke components for specialised end-products, the need was evident that all steps in the supply chain require independent third party testing to validate health claims. This is supported by Consumers and Retailers growing demand for reassurance and transparency for products making health claims being supported by science.
asthma & allergy friendly™ Component Approval and health claim validation is available across multiple sectors, including but not limited to bedding, plush toys, vacuum cleaners, air filters/cleaning devices & cleaning products.