How to shop for medical masks like N95s, KN95s and KF94s and how to The mask appears popular with many dentists, who have substantial potential exposure to possibly infected patients. 8/9, Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) January 20, 2022. Many of these start at around $20 (without the necessary filters), but have even more of a gas mask appearance than the ones aimed at the medical market. High Point or Eden, with a nose bridge and filter, achieved a fitted filtration efficiency (FFE) of over 70%. If you buy from one of the stores listed by the manufacturer, that will provide substantial protection against getting a fake mask. The filter will provide more resistance to the air coming through the mask, so it may in some cases result in more unfiltered air coming in from leaks in the mask. YES 2.2 Is it OK to just wear the mask over my mouth and leave my nose out? Zeynep: If I were wearing an N95 just for the weekly grocery store run, Id probably be fine with alternating two carefully handled masks for many months as long as the elastic works and theres no soiling. Here is a tweet with a letter from the maker of the ReadiMask attesting to its suitability for an MRI. No other mask beats the mask for style. Another sure sign of a fake is a mask with earloops. If you want to have a good possibility of effective filtration assurance in the 80% to 90% range or better, youll need to get one of the better mask options described in Section 6. Not only will you better protect yourself, you will help better protect your community, your country and the world. There is at least one report from a mask expert that it has considerable leakage around the nose. With the 115th pick, the Chicago Bears . You also have good flexibility to get more comfort when heading outdoors, where the risk of transmission is lower, by taking off the brace, but continuing to wear the surgical mask. In a New York Times interview with Zeynep Tufekci, she gave the following advice: Zeynep: I will give a modified version of what health care workers were advised during the worst of the shortages. One of those shapes might work better on your face. The most protective mask (on paper) for your child wont do much good if your child wont keep it on or cant get a good fit. Most PAPRs are industrial looking and impractical for everyday use. Remember what we warned you about earlier the fit of your mask is just as important as filtration. It is believed, but not proved, that some of the most protective of the basic mask options might get up to about 80% effective filtration efficiency. According to the website Patient Knowhow, a study of 60 participants by the Australian Society of Anesthesiologists, 98% of elastomerics passed fit testing versus 57% of disposables (Table 1). This took about two minutes. Aaron Collins - YouTube 4/ Repeated with good seal and no visible condensation. It can be difficult to talk through these types of elastomerics compared to the medical market ones, but you will get very strong protection if you wear it correctly. Many masks come with adjustable straps. It likely wont hurt and for some masks it may increase the overall filtration efficiency by 10 percentage points or more. Remember, if the mask doesnt fit tightly, it wont protect you well. Note filtration data is my test aerosol, my face. If you decide to use an elastomeric, be sure to carefully follow the manufacturers instructions for putting it on and taking it off. Photo from instructions for a 3M mask showing how to use a surgical mask for source control on a half facepiece reusable respirator with an exhalation valve. He says shopping for masks on Amazon can be tricky, because vendors change quickly. For hair cutting and styling, its huge advantage is the strapless design.The only concern is that many customers wont know how to put one on. See our explanation above for more info. However, there is one exception the Savewo Smile, which appears to be made out of high filtration materials to the Korean KF94 mask standard. We made a short video to show you an easy way to search for a particular disposable respirator (e.g., N95, N99, etc.). If you want top protection, you should only buy versions with a headband design, not earloops. The key advantage to the KF94 is that it comes in small sizes for kids. How to check to see if your mask is providing a good fit. Heres. MR. COLLINS IS AN AEROSOL SCIENTIST AND PERSONALLY TESTS PARTICLE FILTRATION, WEAR, AND PROVIDES SOLID ADVICE ON CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE PROTECTIVE MASK. We recommend checking a mask manufacturers website to see if it lists authorized stores or online sellers where their masks can be bought. COLLINS FULL TESTING DATA SET CAN BE FOUND HERE.YAHOO ARTICLE ABOUT HIS WORK. A surgical mask is larger than any of the filters that will fit inside your cloth mask pocket. Some people think filtration effectiveness is based on how small the holes are in the material, but thats not how cloth or high tech materials work. You can access the. Most of these products have an ear loop design. The fit factor test results (tests were by the company, not an outside lab) were also very high. The company provided us with NIOSH approval numbers TC-84A8448 and TC-84A9228 for the various configurations, including the valve plug. No action should be taken based upon any information contained in this website. Aaron Collins tests masks on his YouTube page and compiles a spreadsheet of test results here. One sure sign of a counterfeit N95 mask is a claim or marking that it is FDA Approved. The FDA does not approve medical respirators. To see it in action, Aaron Collins tested it here. Please see Section 5.3 for information on how to find a good quality surgical mask to pair with your mask fitter/brace. If you wish to go the cloth route, you should read their review here. If you must fly on long flights, an elastomeric is also a great option that should provide excellent protection and comfort and not look too strange. An article by the Business Insider summarizes the evidence for this combination. Since no one has a sharp v-shaped nose, you will need to reshape the nose wire to get a better fit. But we cant recommend you wear an elastomeric with a sealed valve for long periods of time because of the possibility of carbon dioxide (CO2) build up inside the mask. It is not NIOSH approved, though the company says it is working toward approval. Powecoms website provides information on how you can verify you have one of their genuine masks. The agency says the best mask for you is the one that fits you well (covering both nose and mouth) and that. It will transmit sound better than most N95s, but offers close to N95 protection. Our advice is that if you buy KF94 masks, look for ones made in Korea. The Fix The Mask testing indicated the Outdoor Research mask was the most breathable. This may be especially true for N95 masks, which come in different shapes, with cone/cup, v-fold, duckbill being the most common. To see it in action, Aaron Collins tested it here. page to determine if the respirator has been approved by NIOSH. The same study also reported that After a month of use, no one wearing an elastomeric mask chose to return to an N95 mask.. It only comes in one size, so it may not work well for your face. As a result many KN95s dont meet the standards specifications. Ready for an N95? Here's how to find a high-quality one that - WCBE As you breathe, the high water vapor content of your warm breath will condense on the lens, a good thing as it shows air going through mask. Top KF94 & KN95 Mask Picks -Aaron Collins : r/Masks4All - Reddit At least one user, who is expert on masks and has bought many masks of all kinds, confirms it transmits sound very well, perhaps the best of any mask with its level of protection. Collins, an aerosol expert, compiled a list of the best child-sized masks to. Dont send tweets, emails or DMs as we cant keep track of questions or suggestions that way. Unfortunately, this mask is not currently available for sale. This study did not specify the quality of the procedure mask used. Consider carefully the size and shape of your face when choosing a mask. Its also good to use hand-sanitizer before putting them on and taking them off. Aaron Collins, a mechanical engineer in Minnesota and self-described "citizen engineer," has. It could be other types of disposable N95s would give good results, but one study of what appears to be the popular 3M Aura mask appears to indicate that this mask isnt a good choice if you have a beard. Please note that the translation is by machine, not a person. With omicron so transmissible, experts warn everyone to up their mask Another great option is to combine a surgical mask with a mask brace or mask fitter, two phrases for the same thing. It looks like it provides an excellent fit, as documented in this video below. If half the air goes around your 99% filter your effective filtration falls to less than 50%. In some cases, double masking two cloth masks could produce a. in FFE. The mask stays on your face through use of a special self-adhesive material. The 6 feet rule is based on the idea that large ballistic droplets fall to the ground within 6 feet, although they can travel farther in a cough or sneeze, up to 28 ft (8.5 m). Your face might be similar to the one where the certified mask either didnt pass or barely passed. It is not NIOSH approved, though the company says it is working toward approval. Eighteen of them flunked, about 42%. 564 28K views 1 year ago Self-described "Mask Nerd" Aaron Collins is an aerosol scientist who tests masks in his home laboratory and rates their ability to filter out aerosol. If you buy a surgical style mask from a drug store or hardware chain, you probably are getting a high filtration mask capable of filtering 85% to 90% or more of particles in the sizes that are thought to spread the virus in the air. Aaron doesn't test kids' KN95 / KF94 masks. See the figure below, Effective filtration efficiency accounts for the quality of the filter. Another option is to block the valve with tape. P100 rated filters for these masks, which filter nearly 100% of small particles, are inexpensive and will last for a long time. Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masksand Where to Get Them , if your mask has a filter pocket but no custom shaped filter. Packs of 25 filters cost $25, with the filters are rated for 8 hours of continuous use under normal air quality conditions., The FDA advises that patients may be injured if they wear face masks (such as surgical or non-surgical masks and respirators) with metal parts and coatings during a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam. John Brooks, MD, chief medical officer of the CDCs COVID-19 Response recently said, that a combination of a medical grade surgical mask and fitter, is getting into that range of filtration efficiency afforded by N95 respirators. You can view the portion of his Jan. 29 briefing on mask fitters. The masks come in four sizes and have a nose wire. (NOTE: The reviewer received a free sample.) Please include the date and version number given at the top. Some cloth masks provide good fit, but surgical masks have a loose fit. The filtration quality is identical for those two standards. The nose wire will help provide a better seal around your nose, forcing more air through the cloth filtering material. If you can afford its high initial cost, $249, this is probably the easiest breathing better mask option on the market. Oct 4, 2021 [1/2]Reusable mask test done. It comes out of the package with a v-shape in the nose wire. The general guidance from manufacturers and the CDC is to not reuse a disposable respirator more than five times. Search for Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator or a similar term and you will find many options. The CDC performed an experiment using headforms and a simulated cough by an unmasked person. Another concern is that many of the filters that come with masks are made out of low quality filtration materials. The same study also reported that After a month of use, no one wearing an elastomeric mask chose to return to an N95 mask., The Envo Mask has NIOSH N95 certification and provided us with a NIOSH label via email indicating N95 approval with use of the mask valve plug now shipped with the mask. This mask was developed in cooperation with the University of the West of Scotland. Keep in mind the CDC tests are for the sample tested and may or may not be representative of a larger lot,including the one you may buy. FOR FURTHER KF94 INFORMATION, THE PEOPLE'S PPE STRONGLY RECOMMENDS AARON COLLINS' MASKS REVIEWS. Only masks that are certified by NIOSH may carry the N95 label. The Mask Nerd has a whole . We have no financial interest in any product listed in this guide and do not earn commissions or any compensation for any links provided in the guide. Unfortunately, very little in the way of testing has been done on the fit and filtration possible from basic masks, so these numbers are only estimates. Flu seasons generally have perhaps 10% infected in the span of 16 weeks. Effective filtration efficiency accounts for the quality of the filter and the fit of the mask. This video below by MinutePhysicsprovides a good explanation of how high tech filtration materials work. From the video you can get a better idea of how it fits to your face and how easy it is to talk. The results of these tests are for the sample tested and may or may not be representative of a larger lot or population of similar respirators. . Collins, who tests respirators on his Youtube channel, agrees with the CDC's recommendation to ditch cloth masks for tight-fitting masks that feature polypropylene filters: tightly woven. No, the mask should cover your nose to block aerosols coming out of it and block any that you might breathe in from the air around you. (This answer is from https://tinyurl.com/FAQ-aerosols here. >>>>>Back to top. Use of the old FDAs logo on the bag or box, 100% of the masks Ive tested with either have been fake (this one bought from the airport tested at 45% filtration) https://t.co/gAaExyegFY pic.twitter.com/bwwjM3oin8, Lloyd Armbrust (@larmbrust) August 23, 2021. Those are the gold-standard in the U.S., says Aaron Collins. The problem with a valve is such a mask provides less protection for people around you and people may be upset at you if you wear a mask with a valve. pic.twitter.com/5cuSfLxoA8, Dr. Richard Corsi (@CorsIAQ) August 3, 2021. Happy to report my husband was able to use a N95 Readimask during his MRI. Thats the mask doctors and nurses wear when treating COVID patients. Only those showing data documenting high filtration claims will be listed and none are NIOSH approved. No conclusions can be made regarding equivalency to N95 products that are NIOSH approved. Thats because it might be so hard to breathe through the materials that more unfiltered air instead comes from leaks in the mask. If you wear an N95 with a valve, you should wear a breathable cloth or surgical mask on top to filter air coming through the valve. Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after touching or adjusting the respirator (if necessary for comfort or to maintain fit). If you are using a disposable respirator mask for personal, not medical use, it is safe to reuse it. Aaron's Google spreadsheet of test results includes links to suppliers. However, it is not clear how well it fits. Whereas in a study published by the American Medical Association, the differences were less pronounced, 92.2% of participants passed fit testing with elastomerics compared to 88.5% using disposable N95. Keep in mind these studies were conducted on healthcare professionals, so your likelihood of getting a proper fit is probably worse. Even if you inhale some, you will inhale less of them, perhaps too few to get infected. Face masks and children. Are masks safe for kids? - 4C Air The most protective disposable masks for kids appear to be the KF94 masks from Korea. As we learn of more, well add them here. Keep in mind that a mask that has been NIOSH approved didnt necessarily submit fit test data. Its elastomeric construction and use of head straps, which we recommend, should provide a good fit. If a manufacturer starts making shoddy masks, NIOSH will yank approval. pic.twitter.com/yDMHqkxZYp, Amanda Hu (@amandalhu) December 20, 2021. I mean, they look nearly identical. Here are two tips to spot fakes: Heres an almost foolproof way to see if your #KN95 is fake. The paper did not specify which model of the Easy Mask was tested this is our best guess by examining the paper and the Easy Mask website descriptions of their mask options. Signs that a respirator may be counterfeit: No markings at all on the filtering facepiece respirator, No approval (TC) number on filtering facepiece respirator or headband, Presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons (e.g., sequins), Claims for the of approval for children (NIOSH does not approve any type of respiratory protection for children), Filtering facepiece respirator has ear loops instead of headbands. The Canopy is likely the best (and perhaps only) reusable better mask option on the market for those who teach deaf students, teachers using American Sign Language, or persons who need to convey facial expressions. so you have better idea about how to use it. The design is unique in that it allows unusual movement of the mouth when speaking compared to other respirators. worth consulting if you plan to reuse your N95 or another disposable respirator. The N95 mask is considered the gold standard in personal protection. If you can find an N95, can afford it, and wear it properly, you will get great protection. The results of any filter penetration test can only be used to provide a check of the products filter efficiency. The Wirecutter, a product review site owned by The New York Times, recommends the 3M 6502QL/49489 Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator, which it says is comfortable to wear and widely available in multiple sizes. It also recommends the 3M 3M 2097 P100 filters, which we agree are a good choice for excellent protection. Many people understand that better filtration will better protect you from inhaling viruses. Just type Mask Nerd YouTube in the search box and his videos will pop up. Even though the KF-AD standard calls for a minimum FE of 55%, most of them test at 80%+ and some even 95%+. If you find you can breathe easily, then chances are this option is fine. [T]en respirators were submitted for evaluation. The company says the mask is designed for little lungs, so we focused heavily on the breathability of our filter. It has fewer layers and the company claims the filter has unparalleled breathability. This reusable mask offers a silicone seal and a filter tested by Nelson Labs that for the samples offered over 99% filtration efficiency and good breathability. 2/ Take first one out and place it directly in from of mask. Just let them rest for a few days in a non-airtight container (like a paper bag or a Tupperware container with holes) and replace one only when it no longer fits well or the elastics have gone soft, or if it is soiled. You can place a surgical mask over the exhalation valve to provide some source control from your mask as illustrated below. Collins also compiles a spreadsheet on masks for kids, which you can access here. Yes, small droplets and aerosols can travel much further than 6 feet as documented in this paper here. Not all the 3M masks in the spreadsheet list suppliers, but some do; I'm not sure whether the suppliers sell to Canadian customers or not: 0 replies 4 retweets 16 likes 4 16 Rebecca Real @RebeccaReal6 Aug 7 Replying to @masknerd Compared to N95s disposable masks, which are supposed to be thrown away after a single use, elastomeric respirators use filters that need to be replaced only once a year unless they become damaged, soiled, or clogged. It comes in 16 different colors, and one is shown below. 8.0 Reusing your disposable respirator mask. Mask Testing and Review. He's been testing masks in this bathroom. The following elastomeric masks with two-way filtering provide test results indicating they would pass NIOSH filtration and fit standards. Thats because, if worn correctly, an N95 mask provides a much tighter fit. Some minimum KN95s filtration results were under 26%! Its a duckbill style, so it does look a bit weird. Having ~40% of the population infected by a single pathogen in the span of 8 weeks is remarkable and I cant think of an obvious modern precedent. pic.twitter.com/SJfkMoWjZ1, curiouser and curiouser (@SueSueCurious) January 13, 2022, We strongly recommend you read this excellent document by 3M, which is titled Filtering Facepiece Respirators FAQ: General Public., It covers the following topics: 1) Respirators vs. EDIT: I would like to point out that Aaron's testing validates my statements on KF-AD respirators. We dont recommend trusting high ratings left on those websites. HIS INDEPENDENT TESTING HAS BEEN INVALUABLE IN CONFIRMING THAT THE MASKS RECOMMENDED HERE ARE PERFORMING TO THEIR ADVERTISED STANDARDS.MR. If it is too hard to breathe, try one of the cloth masks rated highly for breathability and see if it gives you a good fit. Its NIOSH approved and is perhaps the most cost effective option over the long run. shows the difference between ASTM Levels 1, 2 and 3. How to identify a NIOSH-approved respirator: NIOSH-approved respirators have an approval label on or within the packaging of the respirator (i.e. , keep in mind counterfeits come out faster than the government can list them. MR. COLLINS IS AN AEROSOL SCIENTIST AND PERSONALLY TESTS PARTICLE FILTRATION, WEAR, AND PROVIDES SOLID ADVICE ON CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE PROTECTIVE MASK. It appears more compact than many other elastomerics on the market and offers both NIOSH approved N95 and P100 filter options. On Feb. 13, 2021 the CDC website recommended placing a disposable mask underneath a cloth mask as one way to improve how your mask protects you. We recommend you review the CDC page with the agencys official mask guidance. These links to resources on masks, videos, and comments by researchers (the Content) are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. This disposable mask respirator has a soft silicone seal that likely makes it more comfortable than a standard disposable N95. It was one of 10 Phase 1 winners in the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority Mask Innovation Challenge:Building Tomorrows Mask. It costs $50 with five filters. (scroll down to Appendix A) from October 15, 2020 is nice, but the February NPPTL report is more useful. In the United States we have NIOSH to check if masks meet the standard or not. See our explanation above for more info. If employee appearance is important to a store or restaurant manager, the Airgami is clearly the top choice. One mask they tested, the Zubrex, did just as well as the masks built to pass one of the ASTM 2100 standards. Construction/Industrial Market Elastomerics. YES, Is it OK to just wear the mask over my mouth and leave my nose out? Some impressive lab studies. 1.5 Can I use the information here in other publications etc.? The FDA only reviews the manufacturers data. For protection against viruses, N is all you need. on the box itself and/or within the users instructions). Academic paper in preparation. Eighteen of them flunked, about 42%. Keep in mind what NPPTL said in releasing the report: The results of these tests are for the sample tested and may or may not be representative of a larger lot or population of similar respirators. These were written by the volunteer staff of Masks4All. #Masks4All, a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. He and Miller say N95s with a breathing pocket or duckbill shape tend to fit . The mask probably offers significant protection for men with beards because of the filtered air pumped in the mask. The design of your elastomeric may or may not allow for covering the valve with a surgical or cloth mask or it may make it too hard to breathe. You can improve the fit with some surgical mask hacks. While surgical masks provide very high filtration materials. NIOSH-approved respirators have an approval label on or within the packaging of the respirator (i.e. The manufacturer claims this models design means more air flows in and out of the mask to allow for easier breathing. The company also claims the FlexFit design moves with your mouth for comfort all day long. Standard N95s often have difficulty maintaining a seal when the wearer speaks. Any degradation to the respirator seal has the potential to decrease respiratory protection to the wearer. 6.14 Clear Better Masks. The manufacturer is listed as Guangzhou Nan Xi Non-Woven, which is listed on the FDA whitelist with a link to testing info. There are not a lot of studies on this subject and, clearly, the best protection is available to cleanly shaven people wearing N95 or better masks. But the clear message is with one of these hacks you can improve your overall filtering efficiency by over 20 percentage points, or an improvement of about 50%. . The air inside your mask is also at a much lower temperature. CDC recommends the use of a mask fitter in its official Feb. 13, 2021 guidance titled Improve How Your Mask Protects You. A recent CDC research paper said that results [from another study] indicated that when fitters are secured over a medical procedure mask, they can potentially increase the wearers protection by 90% for aerosols in the size range considered to be the most important for transmitting SARS-CoV-2 (generally <10 m).. Any mask will be better than no mask. Aaron Collins tests masks on his YouTube page and compiles a spreadsheet of test results here. This information on mask options is difficult to find in one place.. Perhaps they got a good lot. You may need to type a note specifying this as you checkout. We also consider Project N95 a trusted supplier of the Powecom and N95 masks. The Envo Mask has NIOSH N95 certification and provided us with a NIOSH label via email indicating N95 approval with use of the mask valve plug now shipped with the mask. If you can find a tight fitting and breathable cloth mask for your face, then combining it with a surgical mask should give you a substantial boost in protection. the filtration efficiencies of 31 masks from 21 manufacturers. Are these FAQs available in other languages? See the figure below from Science.. indicated the Outdoor Research mask was the most breathable. National. But few basic masks will deliver that level of protection and its impossible to know if yours will do it on your face.