To deal with Omicron, don’t choose the wrong mask!

The epidemic situation caused by the Omicron variant is still severe, which has once again raised everyone's awareness of protection. Fortunately, even in the face of new strains, wearing a mask is still the simplest, most practical and effective self-protection measure.

However, how to choose a mask has become a big question: Is there any difference in the protective effect between medical masks and protective masks? In addition to traditional medical protective masks and surgical masks, many friends only buy N95 masks in pursuit of a higher level of protection, while some friends prefer masks with beautiful patterns for the sake of beauty... Are these practices correct?

Let’s review today how to choose a mask.

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01

Look at the appearance of the mask?

It is better to look at the implementation standards

As we all know, medical masks have a higher level of protection than ordinary masks, but the names of masks sold in pharmacies and online are so strange, such as disposable medical masks, disposable masks, disposable protective masks, disposable medical surgical masks, etc., that ordinary consumers cannot tell the difference. Many consumers are tired of the same white, green, and blue masks and hope to wear masks with beautiful decorations.

From e-commerce platforms

In fact, no matter how the names change, as long as you find their "implementation standards", you can fundamentally distinguish them. Regular medical mask production implements medical hygiene standards, such as YY0469-2011 for medical surgical masks and YY/T0969-2013 for disposable medical masks. However, medical masks are rare on the market, most of them are "disposable protective masks", and their implementation standards are GB/T 32610-2016, which is the "national standard". In addition, masks for children should meet the requirements of GB/T 38880-2020.

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It is important to note that according to the "Technical Specifications for Daily Protective Masks" issued by the state, the main protection of non-medical disposable protective masks is air pollution, not pathogens such as viruses. In addition, although some masks are also printed with implementation standards, they are internal standards of the company, such as q/fK01-2017, and the protection ability of such masks is difficult to guarantee.

As for those masks printed with beautiful patterns, we don’t need to be dazzled by their appearance. We can judge them by finding out what implementation standards they adopt. We should not buy unqualified ones no matter how beautiful they are.

To sum up: the protective effects from strong to weak are: medical hygiene standard (YY) > national standard (GB) > enterprise internal standard.

02

Is the protection enough?

It's not about who is thicker.

The reason why masks can protect against pathogenic microorganisms and air pollutants is not because of the thickness of the fabric, but because of the key protective component - polypropylene meltblown cloth! Medical masks and regular protective masks are composed of two layers of non-woven fabrics inside and outside and a layer of polypropylene meltblown cloth in the middle. To put it bluntly, the more polypropylene meltblown cloth is included, the higher the protection level.

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According to the requirements, the outer packaging of protective masks from regular manufacturers must indicate the composition of the masks. Consumers should try to avoid purchasing masks that do not indicate the implementation standards and structural components.

03

Block viruses

Just looking at the protection level is not enough

Many people don't understand one thing: Which one is better, N95 or KN95? In fact, the protection level of the two is the same, but they belong to different countries' production standards. N95 refers to masks that meet the US NIOSH certification, while KN95 masks meet the Chinese GB2626-2006 standard. The protection efficiency of both masks against non-oily particles is not less than 95%.

So, is it true that masks with higher protection levels are more worth buying? According to the Technical Specifications for Daily Protective Masks, the protection level specifically refers to protection against air pollution, and the protection against air pollutants and pathogens such as viruses is very different. The common N90/95/100 masks we see are not aimed at the protection level against pathogenic microorganisms. Even KN95 and N95 masks, which seem to have high protection, have medical and non-medical differences.

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Take the non-medical KN95 as an example. Its production standard is GB2626-2006, which is the dust mask standard, which means industrial protection. If it is to meet medical use, it must meet the GB19083-2010 standard. Although both medical and non-medical masks can achieve 95% filtration, the medical standard has an additional "surface moisture resistance", which means it can protect against body fluid splashes.

This is because medical staff may come into contact with the patient's body fluids, sputum and blood, so this requirement is very critical. In general, most of the KN95 masks we can buy comply with GB2626-2006, which is more than enough for ordinary people's daily protection, but for medical staff who may be frequently exposed to the virus, they must use medical masks that comply with the GB19083-2010 standard.

04

Breathing valve mask

Not recommended for use during an epidemic

It is important to note that when we search for N95 and KN95 masks, we will see the following type of products, as shown in the red circle in the figure below. In order to increase comfort, this type of mask has a breathing valve. So can this type of mask be used for epidemic prevention?

From e-commerce platforms

Some friends think that this kind of mask with a breathing valve looks very powerful and more comfortable, but in fact, it is just the opposite. Whether it is during the peak influenza season or the new crown epidemic, masks with breathing valves are not recommended and should not be worn.

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The so-called breathing valve is designed to reduce the wearer's breathing resistance, that is, it closes when inhaling to isolate the outside world, and opens when exhaling to help breathing. The higher the protection level of the mask, the greater the resistance to air filtration, and the more laborious it is to breathe. For children, the elderly or those with poor respiratory function, wearing a mask for a long time will aggravate hypoxia. Therefore, the breathing valve mask came into being.

However, the original intention of this design was to be applied to air pollution, not to prevent various pathogenic microorganisms. Because during the epidemic, everyone may be a carrier of viruses or other pathogens. Although wearing a breathing valve mask can prevent the inhalation of external pathogens, the wearer can spread his own pathogens unimpeded. This is the so-called "protect yourself, not protect others", which poses a great hidden danger to the prevention and control of the epidemic.

Finally, let’s summarize:

1. Even for Omicron, wearing a qualified mask correctly can provide protection.

2. By looking for various national standards, you can buy protective masks.

3. Masks with breathing valves are not suitable for epidemic prevention.

Co-production | China Internet Joint Rumor Refutation Platform Scientific Rumor Refutation Platform

Author | Zhang Jianbo, attending physician of the Department of Cardiology, Cangzhou Central Hospital

Review | Wang Qian, Chief Physician, Emergency Department, Third Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Editor | Ding Zong

This article is produced by the "Science Rumor Refutation Platform" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

The pictures in this article are from the copyright gallery and are not authorized for reproduction.