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 performancechildren's protective masks require a particulate filtration efficiency of not less than 95% and a protection 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 safely and firmly cover the mouth, nose, and chin. There should be no sharp points and sharp edges that can be touched, and the field of vision should not be significantly affected;The raw materials of masks shall not use recycled materials and materials that can cause adverse reactions, and shall not be bleached with chlorine; For masks equipped with a breathing valve, the breathing valve 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 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 index 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,such as:Children should wear masks under the care of adults, and caregivers should observe and educate children to wear masks correctly.Children should not play around or engage in moderate to moderate-intensity exercise while wearing the mask, and should not disassemble the breathing valve and its internal parts; if symptoms such as respiratory discomfort or skin allergies occur during wearing, the mask should be taken off 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 for children with breathing difficulties to wear a mask. When using, clean up objects that are not related to the wearing of the mask, and so on.

《Technical Specification for Children's Masks》The recommended national standards are proposed by the China National Textile and Apparel Council, under the jurisdiction of the National Textile Standardization Technical Committee, and the China Industrial Textile Industry Association organizes experts in medical equipment, personal protection, health care, ergonomics, textile materials, testing, etc. to jointly complete the compilation 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.