Laboratory Services
Training of Staff
All of the training for our staff is done in-house. We use several books (as outlined in our educational services), reference slides of pollen and spores as well as weeks of hands-on training, which must be completed before anyone is permitted to analyze samples. This is done to ensure standardization of counting and identification. This way we know that everyone is capable of properly identifying all pollen and fungal spores in air samples. We believe that it takes a long time to learn how to identify airborne particles as they relate to allergens.
In taking this approach we have been able to set a standard in our laboratory that is not used in many laboratories or institutions involved in this field due to the expense and time involved. This training and standardization is essential to provide relevant and accurate information to allergy sufferers, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and researchers.
Counting and Collecting Procedures
Our collecting is done using rotation impaction sampling devices assemled by our company. We found that, to maintain quality and reliability of products for collecting, assembing our own equipment was essential. We also sell our equipment and all of the accessories necessary for collecting and counting. Rotation impaction is proven technology, which is very reliable and gives good, valid information at a reasonable price.
We recommend keeping the samplers at a standard height of about 6-8 feet above the ground. We feel that this is more representative of what people are breathing, as compared to putting samplers on high buildings. We have found over the years that putting the sampling device on top of buildings brings down the counts of pollen from plants which are close to the ground such as ragweed, grasses and weeds. The populations of spores may also be different when samples are collected from tall rooftops. This, we feel, is not representative of what people are breathing, which is the whole purpose of collecting air samples.
Collection of samples is done at our sites across the country. We co-ordinate the time of day that the samples are changed. This is done between 7:00 to 8:00 A.M. (local time) every morning. We perform collections seven days a week so that our database contains information for every day of the allergy season.
Our counting is done as soon as we get the samples. Samples are delivered to us overnight five days of the week. Our database is updated every time we get new data. This is done to keep up with the changing seasons and to be able to follow the changes from year to year. Since our staff does our counting and it is a standardized process, we have a reliable database. We do not sub-contract our counting and we do not use volunteers to do our work. All counting is done in our own laboratory, hence, supplying us with good reliable results.
Take a look at our publications section for more information on our counting and data analysis.
Predicting
Our predicting is based on many different models, using our database and the weather. Each site that we predict for has its own models which are unique to the species and weather. Every year the weather changes, and the seasons for the trees, weeds and spores are also very different. This is why we keep a database as well as have seven-days-a-week collecting and we update our files as soon as we have new data, before we predict. It took years to develop our models and each site and species has its own database as well as its own models based on the uniqueness of each site and species predicted. We feel that predicting cannot be done unless one has counts and weather data to be able to keep in touch with the changing seasons.
We will only provide prediction information for areas where we have a collection site. One cannot use data from one site to predict another. We have done research and comparisons of sites that are close and have proven that data from one site cannot be used to predict another, even if they are biologically similar. Predicting cannot be done for areas where there is no data or collecting at all. Providing information without data only provides inaccurate and misleading information to allergy sufferers.
Dealing with predicting large sites with diversification in distribution of trees.
One of the big problems that we are constantly faced with is predicting for certain sites with only one sampling location. We can use sites such as Halifax and Edmonton where elm distribution varies a great deal from one location to another at these particular sites. Another location is Calgary, where we presently have two locations and report on both sites. The maple trees at each of the Calgary sites are very different with one site having many and the other site having very few. If we predict and give a result for maple trees for only one of the locations in Calgary we give values for the site that has very few maple trees. This means the value is not correct for all of the City of Calgary. The same problem occurs for Halifax and Edmonton with elm trees.
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