January 28, 2008—Air Quality Sciences (AQS), an independent third-party product emissions, chemical and microbiology testing provider, recently became the first company worldwide to receive ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for testing protocols for indoor environments and products.
ISO/IEC 17025 is an international standard that assesses the technical competency of laboratories. The standard covers every aspect of laboratory management, ranging from sample preparation to analytical testing proficiency to record keeping and reports. The standard focuses on several elements including, but not limited to, the laboratory’s quality system, document control, corrective and preventive action, accommodation and environmental conditions, equipment, measurement uncertainty, evidence of traceability, sampling, and much more.
ISO/IEC 17025 strengthens AQS’ ability to help manufacturers around the world ensure that their products are safe for indoor environments, notes the company.
With greater emphasis on green building around the world, manufacturers rely on AQS to provide reliable, high quality data that can be used to obtain product certifications and to effectively position their products as environmentally friendly, says the company. Consumers and specifiers depend on product certifications in their efforts to decipher the myriad of marketing claims associated with green products.
The scope of testing activities for which AQS received accreditation includes chemical emissions from materials and products used indoors; volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and other carbonyl compounds polluting indoor air; and chemical emissions from printers and copiers, appliances, wood products, seating, office furniture systems and the components that comprise these systems. AQS also received accreditation for testing interior coatings, materials and wood products for microbial growth.
ISO 17025 is an internationally recognized and rigorous measurement standard that allows an organization to prove its competence. This accreditation complements AQS’ achievement of ISO 9001 registration along with accreditation by Germany’s Blue Angel environmental program, American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) EMLAP accreditation, and verification by the State of California for performing Green Label Plus testing.
AQS says it is the only US laboratory with the ISO/IEC 17025 designation required for testing to the GREENGUARD Certification and the ANSI/BIFMA X7.1 furniture emissions standard.
For more information visit the AQS Web site.
