The European standards have become the benchmark for testing the effectiveness of disinfectants within the European Union, and are developed by the Working Groups (WG) of the Technical Committee CEN/TC 216 "Chemical Disinfectants and Antiseptics."
In accordance with the requirements of EN 14885, validation tests are carried out in a multi-stage process, whereby phase 1 consists of basic qualitative suspension tests for screening purposes. These do not serve to substantiate the claim of a finished product.
Phase 2 is divided into quantitative suspension tests (stage 1) and practical tests (stage 2). Important standards for effectiveness testing in hand disinfection are e.g. DIN EN 1500 (hygienic hand disinfection) and DIN EN 12791 (surgical hand disinfection).
