Classification of Medical Masks and Common Questions in COVID-19
Classification of Medical Masks and Common Questions
in COVID-19
Medical masks play an important role in preventing the spread of the virus during coVID-19.
In this regard, Guangzhou Yangyue will be based on the standards of some countries (China, the United States and Europe), with you to explain the classification of medical masks and some common questions, I hope to help you.
However, before sharing, I hope you can bear in mind that not all masks are medical masks, and only masks that meet certain standards (such as yy0469-2011 in China) can be called "medical masks".
First of all, let's share the classification of medical masks:
According to relevant data, in China, medical masks can be divided into three types, namely, medical protective masks with the highest level of protection, medical surgical masks specially used for surgical operations and ordinary medical masks.
Here are three differences:
The shape of the medical protective mask is generally cup shape, and the common shape is arch and butterfly (as shown in the figure below). Compared with the other two medical masks, it is more consistent with the user's face shape. Moreover, it can filter particles and pollutants in the air (such as droplets, blood, etc.), and the filtering effect of oily particles can reach 95%.
Medical surgical masks, common shapes are bind type and ear hook type (as shown in the figure below), is mainly used in the operating room or other body fluids and blood spatter risk exists environment, prevent blood and body fluids through breath area pollution to the wearer, bacteria filtration efficiency more than 95%, conform to the YY0469-2011 standard surgical masks (China standard).But this type of mask isn't as efficient at filtering oily particles as a medical respirator, and it mostly filters rectangular particles that don't fit as well on the wearer's face.
More than ordinary surgical masks, is hanging ear type, appearance and hangers type medical surgical masks is similar to (as shown in the figure below), the type of surgical masks, masks have no bearing "protection" and "surgery" and other words, the isolation effect of blood and body fluids, not too big, or sex is not the other two surgical masks closely, commonly used in ordinary medical environment.
Finally, share some common questions:
1. What is an N95 mask?
A: N95 respirator, one of nine respirators certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health /NIOSH, also known as dust respirator, is a special labor protection product.In the domestic production of N95 masks, in addition to the production license for industrial products, the manufactured products also need to comply with the national standard GB2626-2006.
According to NIOSH 42CFR-84 of the United States, the grade of filter material and filtration efficiency of a mask, N stands for Not resistant to oil.And 95 means that the filtration efficiency of mask is at least 95%.
Therefore, the blocking rate of N95 respirator to non-oily aerosol particles is above 95%, and it fits the wearer's face to ensure that air can enter and leave through the respirator.
2. What do N, KN and FFP on the mask represent respectively?
A: To put it simply, N on the mask stands for the American standard, KN stands for the Chinese standard, and FFP stands for the European standard.
The U.S. Standard is set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH 42CFR-84), which ranks masks according to their filtration performance and the material used to filter them.
The European standard is the standard certified by the European Standard Committee for respiratory protection equipment. This standard divides the particulate protection filter material into solid particle protection and liquid particle protection, respectively using NaCL (sodium chloride) and DOP (paraffin oil) aerosol test and classification.
According to gb2626-2006, masks are divided into KN class and KP class. KN refers to that masks are suitable for filtering non-oily particles, while KP refers to that masks are suitable for filtering oily and non-oily particles.
3. In the coVID-19 epidemic, are masks with valves more effective?
A: Not necessarily, because valved masks can cause a local accumulation of the virus.
4. Do thicker masks have better filtering effect?
A: No, because the filtration efficiency of a mask mainly depends on the filtration material of the middle layer, not on the thickness of the mask.The filter material commonly used in masks is melt-sprayed non-woven fabric made of polypropylene superfine fiber, which is not only thin and breathable, but also effective in filtering particulate matter from the air.Of course, the melt-spray non-woven cloth produced by different manufacturers will be different, the specific filtration effects also need professional equipment for testing.However, compared with ordinary needle-punched and spunlaced non-woven fabrics, melt-sprayed non-woven fabrics have better filtering effect.
5. Should we choose the mask with the highest level of protection during coVID-19?
A: The choice of mask should be decided according to the surrounding environment, not blindly choose the mask with the highest level of protection.Because, the higher the level of the mask, the higher the price, and because of the high content of filter material, good adhesion and high respiratory resistance, long-term wear, it is easy to have difficulty breathing and other uncomfortable phenomenon.
If you are in an environment with high infective content and high risk of transmission, you should try to choose a mask with high protection level.On the contrary, if you are exposed to low levels of infectious agents and in a ventilated environment, you should wear a common respirator.
6. Does wearing two masks provide better protection than wearing one?
A: According to relevant studies, the effect of particulate filtration is not significantly different between a single mask and two superimposed masks at low flow rates.At a high flow rate, the filtering effect of the stacked mask is higher than that of the single mask.
However, in real life, it is very difficult to reach 80-100 L/min.Therefore, wearing a multi-layer mask, not only will not enhance the protective effect, but will reduce the comfort of wearing.
7. How often should the mask be changed?
A: The protective effect of any mask is time-limited, so it is necessary to change masks regularly, even in special times.It is recommended not to reuse the mask and to replace it every 2 to 4 hours. If the mask is contaminated, the mask should be replaced in time.
8. Can I wear a mask all the time?
A: Masks are not recommended for long periods of time, as they can easily cause lung damage and can even cause emphysema and other problems.
9. How to dispose of contaminated masks?
A: Contaminated masks can be placed in plastic bags and sealed to avoid contact with clothing or other objects, increasing the risk of transmission.Then place the sealed mask in a designated place. Do not throw it away.
And when you remove the mask, try to avoid touching the outside of the mask.Wash hands promptly after removing the mask.
It has been months since coVID-19 emerged.Although the epidemic at home has been brought under control, the epidemic abroad is still severe.As a result, we are still a long way from taking off our masks.Therefore, we should be ready to play a protracted war, strengthen their awareness of the use of masks.
2020 08/06