Bureau Veritas, a leading testing, inspection and certification provider for the consumer goods and healthcare industry, announced its Katubedda, Sri Lanka laboratory has obtained ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for new scope related to medical/surgical face masks.
The new accreditation enables face mask buyers and suppliers worldwide to test medical masks, including full EU market entry scope, in one location.
With market estimates putting the annual growth of face masks over 20% every year, the need for additional trusted full-service laboratories continues to grow. With this latest development, Sri Lanka is the first full-service medical mask lab in the Bureau Veritas network. In addition to this capability, Sri Lanka is also one of 10-plus Bureau Veritas laboratories worldwide that can test fashion masks against regulatory and performance requirements.
Newly accredited capability includes packages for the EU Market – EN 14683:2019 Type I/II and Type IIR with the following accredited tests:
- Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE%): EN 14683:2019/ASTM F2101
- Differential Pressure: EN 14683:2019/ASTM F2101
- Microbial Cleanliness: ISO 11737-1
- Splash Resistance: ASTM F1862/ISO 22609
- Flammability: 16 CFR 1610
- Antimicrobial Efficacy Study: ISO 20743:2013/AATCC TM100/ASTM E2149 – 13a/ASTM E3160 – 18/JIS L 1902
- Shelf Life Study: ASTM F1980-16
Niraj Singh, Director, Softlines & Analytical – Asia (Global Technical Services) for Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, comments, “We are seeing increasing demands for a faster and more complete service from our clients, from both buyers and suppliers. I am therefore delighted that we have a comprehensive testing capability worldwide, with our specialist test center in Sri Lanka, however, we also have full capability to deliver knowledge management, supplier selection and product approval.”