The National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines state people with asthma should assess their home environment and improve indoor air quality.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) joined with Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) to create the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program. This program helps people make informed purchases for a healthier home. We test household products against strict standards. If products pass our tests, they earn the asthma & allergy friendly® mark.
Here is a look at the asthma & allergy friendly® process:
How We Develop Standards
- AAFA and ASL conduct market research and listen to feedback from AAFA’s asthma and allergy community about consumers’ needs
- ASL reviews scientific research, clinical studies, related national and international standards and best practices
- ASL conducts experimental product testing
- ASL develops the standard for the product category, including strict criteria to which any products will be tested
- AAFA’s independent medical scientific council reviews the proposed standard and provides expert feedback
- The standard is sent to the board of directors for AAFA and ASL for review and approval
How We Test Products
- Products and companies are reviewed to see if their product is a good fit for the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program
- Companies send their products to independent labs for testing. ASL manages the testing process to ensure strict guidelines are followed.
- Products must pass every test required in the standard in order to qualify for asthma & allergy friendly® Certification
- Each CERTIFIED product has a certificate and is associated with a unique certification code
Many products on the market claim to be "hypoallergenic," but there are no regulations on using that term. Often, products are labeled as asthma and allergy friendly only as a marketing ploy. The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program is the only science-based program that establishes standards to reduce indoor allergy and asthma triggers.
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