Specialized in microbiological analysis in the field of industrial health, the Icare laboratories, located in Saint-Beauzire (Puy-de-Dôme), have developed tests to assess the effectiveness of the different types of face masks used to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

With a base of a thousand customers, mainly manufacturers of medical devices or the pharmaceutical industry, the company brings its expertise to certify that the products and devices manufactured comply with regulatory requirements, especially when there is a risk of contamination.

“The objective is to measure the filtration efficiency of the mask, to know what quantities of particles with a size of about 3 microns, which corresponds to postilions, will pass through the tested mask. These activities currently employ around ten of the 200 employees of the company, and we think they will keep us busy for a few more months. Many customers have engaged internal discussions around a partial relocation of specific activities from countries like China and India back to France. Tomorrow will be different, and we will be there to support companies that plan to relocate an activity in France, from design assistance to quality control. A mask must be changed every four hours, it is a major issue”, explains Christian Poinsot, CEO of Icare.