ARDL recognizes Ana Barbur for her achievements

Akron, OH — ARDL is thrilled to announce that Ana Barbur, VP of Chemical/Analytical Services, has been appointed Sub Chair of the ASTM International Technical Committee D11.40.02 Medical Gloves Task Force. Ana has collaborated closely with ASTM for more than twenty years, aiding in the development of standardized testing for examination, surgical and chemotherapy gloves.
Born and raised in Romania, Ana pursued the “American Dream” upon her arrival in the US. Since joining ARDL in 2001, Ana’s focus has been on assisting the FDA in addressing potential health risks present in any PPE/chemotherapy healthcare treatment environment. This involves evaluating sampling, test methods, and acceptable quality levels to align with the stringent FDA needs and regulations.
Ana’s dedication and diligence have helped lead to the establishment and improvement of some of the ASTM D11 well-known standards. Her work expanded from a few chemotherapy drugs in the very beginning to over 100 hazardous drugs these days including opioids, antivirals and more as outlined in the current NIOSH List of Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings. With Ana’s guidance, ARDL gained and maintained DEA clearance for all drug Schedules and the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy license.
Expressing her gratitude and commitment, Ana shared, “While I am honored by this nomination, I am driven to enhance this field close to my heart.” Reflecting on ARDL’s PPE Chemotherapy Resistance testing expertise, she added, “It is simply hard to match our decades of experience and we strive to be not only the first commercial laboratory in the world doing so but also the one constantly improving this critical field. Healthcare workers all over the world trust us to continue protecting them.”
Apart from chairing the D11.40.02 group, Ana serves as the ISO liaison in the ISO CEN/TC 205 Medical Gloves Group, under the leadership of Maximillian Rasser, from the DIN German Institute. She is also credited as a co-inventor, alongside ARDL founder Charles Samples, for two USPTO-recognized patents. One invention pertains to techniques and materials for implantable devices, including markers used to indicate biopsy or surgery sites in breast cancer.
Ana’s unwavering commitment to consumer safety is evident through her ongoing work in the FDA PPE compliance testing and evaluation of various PPEs and medical devices. Dusty Samples, ARDL’s Manager for Chemical Testing Services, praised Ana’s expertise in polymer chemistry and chemical/pharmaceutical permeation testing. He highlighted her nurturing leadership style, emphasizing integrity, loyalty, and growth within the team. “Ana cares greatly for the work we do here and has an open door policy where she welcomes questions and innovative ideas.”
Ana joins another ARDL veteran, Dr. Dave Kostyal, who serves as sub-chair of the ASTM D11.40.04 committee, which leads protein testing across medical substrates. Together, Ana and Dave bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to ARDL. With their collaborative efforts, they strive to ensure that the medical industry has accurate and reliable methods for testing PPE and devices, ultimately contributing to the improvement of healthcare practices and patient outcomes. Their dedication to this important aspect of medical research and testing is truly commendable.