ANSI Seeks Comments on Proposed New Technical Committee on Biocidal and Antimicrobial Properties
10/02/2019
The prevention of biological contamination remains one of the biggest challenges in various sectors, including the food, farming, and medical fields. A proposed International Organization for Standardization (ISO) technical committee (TC) would support the standardization of test methods to evaluate the basic biocidal activity of surfaces, to ensure greater safety for various applications within numerous industries. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the U.S. member body to ISO, requests feedback on the proposal.
According to the proposal submitted to ISO by AFNOR, France's national member body to ISO, the technical committee would support a proposed work program for:
1. Standards to evaluate the basic biocidal activity of surfaces. Such standards would help evaluate the biocidal efficacy of surfaces, close to general ambient conditions, but without developing variations, taking into account each specific set of use conditions. They would also provide tools to demonstrate the biocidal activity (i.e. that which irreversibly inactivates microorganisms) of surfaces, while providing disambiguation regarding biostatic activity (i.e. inhibition of the growth of microorganisms).
2. Standards to evaluate the biocidal activity of surfaces in various areas of application, integrating the effect of interfering substances, of specific microorganisms, of log reduction in correlation with field's and user's needs, including the ability to sustain the level of performance over time.
3. Guidance documents that the TC would deem needed in support of the use of the standards envisaged above. This may include guidance for performing hygiene with biocidal surfaces or publish round-robin tests results conducted in support of the standards.
Related areas include medical and veterinary applications, aerospace, agriculture, food hygiene and other industrial fields, institutional and domestic applications.
All interested U.S. parties are invited to review the proposal, which features related existing ISO work and relevant affected stakeholders.
Submit comments to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director of international policy and strategy, at [email protected], by close of business on Friday November 15, 2019.
Based on the input received from U.S. stakeholders, a recommended ANSI position and comments will be developed and presented to the AIC for approval, before the ISO voting deadline on December 21, 2019.
ANSI has published an explanatory information document outlining the process used to develop U.S. positions on issues and activities under consideration by ISO and IEC.
