ASTM F3502-21 Standard Specification forBarrier Face Coverings

Designation: F3502-21 Standard Specification forBarrier Face Coverings1
1. Scope
1.1 This specification is primarily intended to help ensurebarrier face coverings meeting the stated requirements provide() a mcans of source control for individual wearers byreducing the number of expelled droplets and acrosols from thewearer's nose and mouth into the air; and (2) to potentially
Nothing in this standard addresses or implies a quantitative assessment ofoulward leakage and no cllaims can be rmadle about the degree to which abarricr face covering reduces camission of human-gencrated partices.
1.2 This specification establishes minimum design, perfor-mance (testing)，abeling. user instruction. reporting andclassification.and conformity assessment requirements forbarrier face coverings.
1.2.1 Design criteria include setting minimum areas of facecoverage over the wearcr's nose and mouth, prohibiting openvents or valves, requiring a means for retaining the barrier facecovering on the wearer 's head, and providing a representationof product sizing.Manufacturers are further required to per-form a design analysis for assessing leakage of exhaled airfrom the barrier face covering. Manufacturers are permitted toconduct quantitative testing as specified in this standard tosupplement the design analysis.
1.2.2 Performance and testing criteria define minimum bar-rier face covering filtration efficiency and airflow resistanceperfonmance properties. Sub-micron particulate filtration effi-ciency represents the ability to capture and reduce respirabledroplets and acrosols that potentially contain viruses andbacteria. Airflow resistance represents the wearer"s ease ofbreathing or breathability while wearing the barrier facecovering. The impact of repeated cleaning or laundering oncontinued performance is applied for measuring performanceproperties for those barrier face cowerings that are intended tobe reusable.Manufacturers are permitted to also provide testresults for bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) as supplementalinformation to the mandatory performance measurement ofsub-micron particulate filtration efficiency.