National Jewish, Mothers of Asthmatics Team

THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), the leading national nonprofit concerned with asthma and allergies, and National Jewish Health, the nation's No. 1 respiratory hospital, are teaming up to provide a comprehensive approach to controlling symptoms for people with allergies and asthma.

The Family Air Care^® Indoor Allergens and Mold Test Kit, developed and serviced by National Jewish Health, allows users to sample dust from areas of their home and receive reports on levels of common indoor allergens detected such as mold, cockroaches, dust mites and cat and dog dander. The Indoor AirRepair Kit, developed by AANMA, offers a comprehensive guide for families to find and remove allergens. The two groups will jointly market and promote both kits to help families ensure that their indoor environment is free of key allergens and mold that can irritate their lungs and cause allergy or asthma symptoms.

Until now, there has been no widely distributed diagnostic process to determine the levels of the most common indoor allergens.

"The Family Air Care^® kit is the only commercially available indoor-air testing kit that lets customers compare their results with samples from homes around the nation, and offers specific advice about how to interpret the results and what to do after receiving them," said David Tinkelman, MD, Vice President of Health Initiatives at National Jewish Health.

"AANMA is committed to helping people minimize asthma and allergy symptoms and eliminate needless death and suffering," says Nancy Sander, president and founder. "The first step in preventing asthma episodes is to identify and eliminate known allergens and irritants. Allergy proofing the home can now be strategic and focused on allergens that matter most."

To use the Family Air Care® Indoor Allergens and Mold Test Kit, consumers simply attach a small capture device to their vacuum cleaner hose, briefly run the vacuum cleaner in their homes, then mail the collection device to National Jewish Health in a pre-paid envelope provided with the kit. Test results are reported in a secure email. In addition to providing specific levels for the four allergens, the results also show how customers' homes compare with homes across the nation. The mold analysis results are displayed in a relative moldiness index developed by EPA. The product will be especially useful for millions of people with allergies and asthma, who can benefit from lowering exposure to allergens and irritants in their environment.

Once the diagnostic assessment of the home is complete, users can go to the Family Air Care^® Website to learn how to lower allergen levels in their homes. They can also visit AANMA's http://www.aanma.org/ website to download the free Indoor AIRepair^TM Kit. Produced in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor Air Division, this publication helps families find and remove allergens and irritants that can trigger asthma, allergies and other health conditions for families and children in homes, schools and at play. Combining the Familly Air Care Kit and the Indoor AIRepair Kit will provide a user a comprehensive approach to identifying and mitigating the impact of allergens.

"We are excited about the partnership with AANMA to market and distribute this product," said Dr. Tinkelman. "They are one of the leading education and advocacy groups for people with asthma and allergy. Their support shows the true value of the Family Air Care^® product to consumers, their national network of families and medical professionals concerned with asthma and allergies."

The mold-testing component of the kit was developed jointly by National Jewish Health and Roche Diagnostics Corporation, based on EPA's index and using state-of-the-art DNA-detection technology. Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories, a referral laboratory within National Jewish known worldwide for its excellence in specialized testing, will measure, analyze and report on the allergens and mold found in the collection device.

"The Family Air Care^®assessment benefits all households, but is especially important to the 70 percent of households where a person with allergies and/or asthma lives," said Dr. Tinkelman "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that people with allergies and/or asthma reduce levels of allergens and irritants in their homes to improve their health."

About AANMA

Founded in 1985, Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics is a national nonprofit family organization dedicated to eliminating suffering and death due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. AANMA's core areas of expertise are education, advocacy and outreach. The organization's http://www.aanma.org/ website and award-winning publications - Allergy & Asthma Today magazineand The MA Report newsletter - are consumer lifelines to medical news and healthy living. For more information visit www.aanma.org or call 800.878.4403.