The most important characteristic for porous medical packaging is the ability to keep devices free from microorganisms from the point of sterilization to the point of use. Downstream converting processes can affect the properties of a package material. One of the most common converting steps is the addition of an adhesive coating. The current test standard for measuring the ability of a porous barrier material to serve as a microbial barrier is ASTM 1608-95. This test method was used to measure the microbial barrier properties of a wide selection of packaging materials in both their coated and uncoated forms. The test matrix consisted of five converters, eight medical device manufacturers, three sterilization methods, five aging cycles, and three package styles - pouches, lidded trays and form fill seal packages. The results were analyzed to compare the microbial barrier properties of a given material in its uncoated state versus its coated state and also to compare differences in microbial barrier properties of different porous packaging materials
