Standard For Children's Masks

On May 6, 2020, the State Administration for Market Supervision (Standards Committee) officially released the recommended national standard GB/T38880-2020 "Technical Specifications for Children's Masks", which will be implemented from the date of issuance.

The recommended national standards of "Technical Specifications for Children's Masks" stipulate the basic requirements, appearance quality, and test methods for masks for children aged 6 to 14 years, and also put forward 19 main performance indicators.

In terms of protection performance, children's protective masks require a particulate filtration efficiency of not less than 95% and a protective effect of not less than 90%; children's hygiene masks require a particulate filtration efficiency of not less than 90% and a bacterial filtration efficiency of not less than 95%.

In terms of comfort performance, taking into account the respiratory characteristics of the child's physiological development stage, child protective masks require both exhalation resistance and inhalation resistance to be no higher than 45Pa; children's hygiene masks require ventilation resistance no higher than 30Pa. Regarding the comfort of wearing masks, the standard recommends the use of adjustable mask straps.

In terms of safety performance, the mask should be able to cover the mouth, nose, and chin safely and firmly. There should be no sharp points and sharp edges that can be touched, and should not significantly affect the field of vision. The raw materials of the mask should not use recycled materials and materials that can cause adverse reactions. It should be bleached with chlorine; for masks equipped with breathing valves, the breathing valves should be firm and not deformed, and the internal parts should not fall off; lace-up mask straps should not be used; the nose clip should withstand 20 folds without breaking; the inner material of the mask It should not be printed or dyed. The standard strictly stipulates the residue of harmful substances, the content of formaldehyde should not be higher than 20mg/kg; the printed pattern on the outer layer of the mask should not fade, and the decomposable carcinogenic aromatic ammonia dyes are prohibited; the residual amount of ethylene oxide sterilization should not be higher than 2μg/g; No migratory fluorescent whitening substance shall be detected. The standard also stipulates that the microbiological indicators should meet the requirements of disposable sanitary products.

The recommended national standards of "Technical Specifications for Children's Masks" give clear safety warnings for the use of children's masks. For example, children should wear masks under the supervision of adults, and caregivers should pay attention to observe and educate children to wear masks correctly. Children should not play around or engage in moderate and medium-intensity exercises while wearing the mask, and should not disassemble the breathing valve and the internal parts of the breathing valve; if symptoms such as respiratory discomfort or skin allergies occur during wearing, the mask should be removed in time, and if necessary, immediately Seek medical attention. Masks should be replaced in time. It is not recommended to reuse masks after washing, and used masks cannot be exchanged. It is not recommended to wear a mask for children with breathing difficulties. When using, clean up objects that are not related to the wearing of the mask, and so on.

The recommended national standard of "Technical Specifications for Children's Masks" was proposed by the China Textile Industry Federation and under the jurisdiction of the National Textile Standardization Technical Committee. The China Industrial Textile Industry Association organizes medical equipment, personal protection, medical and health, ergonomics, textile materials, testing, etc. Experts in the fieldwork together to complete the preparation work. The standards provide a basis for the correct selection and wearing of children's masks, standardize the order of industry competition, strengthen market supervision, and provide technical support and standard guarantees for children's mask manufacturers.