1. Scope

Keywords

Rationale

In recent years, the market has been looking for active microbiocidal surfaces that can reliably kill microorganisms to protect against cross-contamination, especially in high-traffic environments and in environments that require sterile conditions, such as hospitals. Previous test methods were based on wet environmental conditions, which do not adequately reflect real-world contamination and the effectiveness of self-disinfecting surfaces. ISO 7581 simulates realistic contamination of an extremely dry non-porous surface by microdroplets but may not be reliably applicable to semi-porous and hydrophobic surfaces, especially when used on fragile microorganisms. The industry needs a test method that reliably measures the killing ability of such surfaces to answer questions from regulators about their effectiveness against a wide range of bacteria and viruses. The industry's goal is to find products with high kill properties that remain intact over a reasonable lifetime of the product. The proposed test method strikes the balance between simulating realistic conditions and providing a robust test method for the industry and regulators.