Measuring the performance of community face coverings in Europe and beyond

Standardized test methods to assess the performance of surgical masks and personal protective equipment for the respiratory tract prescribe rather complicated and lengthy test methods using measuring equipment hard to find on the market. We present an innovative test method to measure the filtration performance of “community face covering” based on ISO 16890 series. This method provides a clear and complete performance assessment, in a much shorter time, and providing data uncertainty. We present and compare the data obtained by testing the three categories of devices with the new method.