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

The recommended national standard for "Technical Specifications for Children's Masks" specifies the basic requirements, appearance quality, and testing methods for masks suitable for children aged 6 to 14, and proposes 19 main performance indicators.

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

In terms of comfort performance, considering the respiratory characteristics of children's physiological development stages, children's protective masks require exhalation resistance and inhalation resistance not to exceed 45Pa; Children's sanitary masks require a ventilation resistance of no more than 30Pa. In terms of comfort when wearing masks, the standard recommends using adjustable mask straps.

In terms of safety performance, masks should be able to safely and firmly cover the mouth, nose, and jaw, without any sharp tips or edges that can be touched, and should not significantly affect the field of view; The raw materials for masks should not use recycled materials or materials that can cause adverse reactions, and should not be bleached with chlorine; The mask equipped with a breathing valve should have a firm and non deformed breathing valve, and the internal components should not come off; Strap up mask straps should not be used; The nose clip should withstand 20 folds without breaking; The inner material of the mask should not be printed or dyed. The standard strictly stipulates the residual harmful substances, with formaldehyde content not exceeding 20mg/kg; The printed pattern on the outer layer of the mask should not fade, and degradable carcinogenic aromatic ammonia dyes are prohibited; The residual amount of ethylene oxide sterilization shall not exceed 2 μ g/g; No migratory fluorescent whitening substances shall be detected. The standard also stipulates that microbial indicators should meet the requirements of disposable sanitary products.

The recommended national standard "Technical Specification for Children's Masks" provides clear safety warnings for the use of children's masks, such as: children should wear masks under adult care, and caregivers should pay attention to observing and educating children to wear masks correctly. During the period when children wear masks, they should not play or engage in moderate to high intensity exercise, and should not disassemble the breathing valve and its internal components; If symptoms such as respiratory discomfort and skin allergies occur during wearing, the mask should be removed in a timely manner, and medical attention should be sought immediately if necessary. Masks should be replaced in a timely manner. It is not recommended to wash and reuse masks, and used masks cannot be exchanged. Children with breathing difficulties are not recommended to wear masks. When using, items unrelated to wearing the mask should be cleaned up, etc.

The recommended national standard for "Technical Specifications for Children's Masks" was proposed by the China Textile Industry Federation, under the jurisdiction of the National Textile Standardization Technical Committee, and jointly developed by experts in medical devices, personal protection, medical and health, human efficiency, textile materials, testing, and other fields organized by the China Industrial Textile Industry Association. The standards provide a basis for correctly selecting and wearing children's masks, regulating industry competition order, and strengthening market supervision, providing technical support and standard guarantees for children's mask production enterprises.

Information source: State Administration for Market Regulation