New national mask standards seek federal approval and would add 'effectiveness label'
ASTM International released new national mask standards that could help Americans choose face mask protection based on two labels of effectiveness.
Author: Heather Hope (Reporter)
Updated: 7:03 PM PST February 18, 2021
SAN DIEGO — There is a science to picking the proper mask, and now with new national standards awaiting federal approval, the goal is to put a label on each mask to determine their effectiveness, just like with sunscreen SPF numbers.
"We want to make sure that there are no gaps, and then you want to breathe in and feel whether the air is coming in,” said Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam, President and Professor at the New England Complex Systems Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.