Presentation by IAQS at Interclean
Interclean Amsterdam is the ultimate event for anyone passionate about hygiene and cleanliness, and working hard at this year’s event were our team members from Allergy Standards, the scientific arm of the Certification Program, Ingo Weinhold and Richard Bromhead.
The conference proved to be a great opportunity to like-minded health-focused people in the cleaning industry and explore cutting-edge products and solutions from around the globe, all in one place.
Two of the main themes of this year’s Interclean were ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Healthcare and Hygiene’, demonstrating key areas of note in the industry at this time.
There are growing demands for regulation concerning cleaning products and their impact on health and the indoor environment so third-party testing like that by the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program is increasingly in demand. This trend is evident from the number of global cleaning and hygiene professionals our team engaged with, who are eager to achieve certification so their products meet consumer demands.
Our asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program tests products such as surface cleaning sprays, dusting wipes and laundry detergents. Cleaning product ingredients are many and varied, and remain so far largely unregulated.
In order for a cleaning product to earn Certification, strict standards for appropriate levels and ingredients must be met when:
- Evaluating ingredients for toxicological, allergenic and sensitizing purposes
- Analyzing airborne chemicals during use
- Analyzing particle concentration during use
- Evaluating allergen levels after use to ensure the product is reducing allergen burden from surfaces.
The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program ensures that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are very low in any products that are awarded the certification or that their concentration is low enough to warrant no concern for sensitive individuals.
All clients of the Program are supported with promotional and marketing collateral, educational presentations and research findings so that they are fully informed on all benefits of the certification, and can empower consumers through scientific knowledge.