How do we know what masks are suitable for different environments?

A medical mask, also known as surgical mask, is worn by health professionals and healthcare workers to protect them from infections in patients and treating personnel, to catch microorganisms shed in liquid droplets and aerosols. 

With the outbreak of covid-19, there's a large demand to protective face masks all over the world. A disposable face mask is not designed to protect the wearer from breathing in airborne bacterial or viruses with small particles. 

Wearing a mask is essential when physical distancing is not possible. How do we know what masks are suitable for different environments? 

Types of face masks 

There are many different types of face masks in market, and firstly you should know which face mask fits your requirement. Medical face masks are divided into two main categories: surgical masks and repistors. Below are some masks types for your reference. 

Type I face mask Type II face mask Type IIR face mask FFP2 face mask FFP3 face mask N95 face mask Type I face mask has a BFE (bacterial filtration efficiency) of 95%, while Type II and Type IIR masks have a BFE of 98%.

Breathing resistance and splash resistance for Type I and Type II masks are the same. However, for Type IIR face mask, it has breathing resistance less than 60Pa, and higher splash resistance of more than 16.0kPa, which means this type of mask can protect wearers from droplets and liquid splash during treatment.

FFP2 and FFP3 face masks are European classes respirators. FFP2 masks are equivalent of N95 face masks, which have a minimum 95% filtration percentage and a maximum of 8% leakage to the inside. It's recommended by WHO for protection against Covid-19.

FFP3 face masks have the most effective particles filtration efficiency, with a minimum filtration of 99% and a maximum leakage of 2% to the inside. FFP3 masks usually have a valve to help breathe as the filtration material is much thicker. 

Standards for different types of face masks 

Medical masks and respirators are complied with different standards and regulations, and depending on geographical areas to which they are manufactured and supplied.

 

Protective medical masks Type I, Type II and Type IIR in Europe must comply with European standards EN14683, and they must comply with ASTM standards in US.

Respirators FFP2 and FFP3 meet EN149: 2010 in Europe and NIOSH in the US. 

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