CEN/TC 248/WG 13 - Determination of resistance of textiles to microbiological attack

ISO 20645:2004 specifies a method for the determination of the effect of antibacterial treatments applied to woven, knitted and other flat textiles. ISO 20645:2004 is applicable to testing hygienic finishes of hydrophilic, air-permeable materials or antibacterial products incorporated in the fibre. A minimum diffusion of the antibacterial treatment into the test agar is necessary with this procedure. ISO 20645:2004 is applicable to other materials, provided that it is adapted accordingly.
ISO 20645:2004 is not suitable for testing textiles treated with antibacterial treatments that react with the agar.

This standard specifies a method for determining long term resistance of textiles to attack by microorganisms/mixed cultures.

ISO 11721-2:2003 describes a test procedure for identification of the long-term resistance of a rot-retardant finish against the attack of microorganisms in the soil.
It permits a distinction to be made between rot-retardant finishes with no long-term resistance, with regular long-term resistance and with increased long-term resistance, in order to assess the suitability for use in the tropics.
As the soil burial test is a biological process and the test soil not accurately defined, ISO 11721-2:2003 only covers the comparison of finished and unfinished specimens.

This Standard specifies a method for determination of the resistance of chemically-pretreated textiles to the action of micro-organisms present in soil in comparison with untreated textiles. This method is applicable to flat textiles made of cellulosic containing yarns (tentage, tarpaulins, webbing and tapes) that will typically come into contact with soil during use. Due to the inherent resistance of most synthetic fibres to attack by micro-organisms, fabrics containing a high proportion of synthetic fibres can only be judged by these methods for changes in structure and appearance.