This International Standard specifies quantitative test methods to determine the antibacterial activity of footwear.
This International Standard is applicable to all footwear products regardless of the type of antibacterial agent used(organic, inorganic, natural or man-made) or the method of application (built-in, after-treatment or grafting).
The user can select the most suitable of the following methods on determination of antibacterial activity:
a) Qualitative method (halo test) This is the testing method to evaluation the antibacterial activity of footwear products treated with antibacterial finish by the existence of halos, and this is applicable when antibacterial finishing chemicals can easily diffuse into plate agar culture medium.
b) Quantitative method (Absorption test) This is the testing method to evaluation the antibacterial activity of footwear products treated with antibacterial finish by making use of a bacteriostatic activity value or a bactericidal activity value.