Tag: Filter

Where You Can Go in a Good Mask

With the pandemic causing so many deaths in countries around the world, face masks have become a symbol of this period of time. You can see many people wearing masks to protect them from the virus. From homemade masks, surgical masks to even rare masks such as those with N95 or P100 filters, you can see that wearing a mask is the new norm.

Thus, it is more crucial to understand that there are places where wearing a protective mask is an absolute must. Regular face masks won’t be enough in these areas. What you need are those masks with a high rating. Ratings like N95 are tested to remove more than 95% of PM2.5 particles whereas the N99 rating removes more than 99% of PM2.5 particles, which is very similar to the European Standard FFP2.

What are those masks with P100 filters?

As we all know, masks have filters that are rated based on how much particulate matter they can efficiently block. With a P100 rating, these masks would be able to block 99.9% of particles 0.3 microns or larger. For instance, there are gas masks with P100 ratings. According to the CDC, gas masks are known to be air-purifying respirators. They filter or clean chemical gases and any other particles out of the air you breathe. This respirator often has a facepiece or masks and a cartridge or filter. These are also often secured by straps on the top of the head.

Places You Can Use Gas Masks

  1. Areas Dealing with Hazardous Waste

There are people called hazardous material removal workers or hazmat workers who deal with dangerous waste. They use full protective suits and respiratory-type gas masks to remove, dispose, or transport nuclear waste, radioactive waste, and other types that could harm the environment or the public. The masks provide clean air when dealing with such toxic waste.

  1. Areas with Nuclear Radiation

There are factories and nuclear power plants that deal with nuclear radiation.

They can even be found near some places where people live. If you are an employee or someone who lives close to these factories or plants, you will need a gas mask to protect you from the harmful air. In cases of emergency, these masks will also come in handy because wearing one could be the difference in survival.

  1. Areas in Healthcare or Medical Facilities

Most doctors, nurses, and any other medical or healthcare professionals can be found wearing masks to protect themselves and ensure the safety of the patients and other people.

P100 masks are efficient when it comes to contagious diseases such as COVID-19, the swine flu and avian flu, as stated by Enviro Safety. These filters can help block most airborne hazards, which is why it is normal for people to wear these masks during a pandemic to prevent the spread of a virus.

  1. Areas with Poor Air Quality

Most people won’t be able to easily avoid areas with poor air quality because of the nature of their jobs, such as those who work in construction, food processing plants, agriculture, or even pharmaceutical manufacturing. These workers are usually exposed to dust, hazardous mist, and fumes. But, with P100 masks, they would be protected from 99.97% of particulate matter and gasses when properly worn.

As can be seen above, there are jobs that use face masks, so there is no reason for you not to get one. Keep your lungs safe with masks and avoid causing any harm to them!

Improve Your Breathing By Spending More than 12 hours a Day in a Filtered Area

Indoor air quality is such an essential part of our everyday lives, even though some might not know it. Believe it or not, you can be exposed to air pollutants inside of your homes. The worst thing about this is that you can be completely unaware.

What are some examples of indoor air pollution?

One of the most common indoor air pollutants is dust. Inhaling dust can trigger allergic reactions. No one wants the air that they breathe to be dirty. Another is old or new paint. Paint actually contains VOCs or volatile organic compounds, and if it is in high concentrations, it could lead to various health problems.

There are also household cleaners and disinfectants that may cause harmful effects. By scrubbing them on any surface, they will interact with the air that you breathe and form VOCs. Another air pollutant is mold. Mold grows in humid places and can cause fevers, sneezing, and headaches, among other things. The bottom line is that all of these indoor air pollutants won’t do any good to your lungs and health.

How will a purifier help?

Some devices can help eliminate these indoor air pollutants. Air purifiers are devices that remove contaminants from the air and thus improve your Indoor Air Quality.

 

The filters in air purifiers have large HEPA filters which remove as many contaminants as possible. It is ideal to have a purifier that filters all the air in your space a few times every day.

It is also very good to have an air purifier running while you sleep at night. In the end we spend most of our time indoors, so making sure that the air you breathe while inside will really help your lungs to clear our and for you to recover from the dust and chemicals you’ve breathed outside.

The Benefits of HEPA filters

You should make use of purifiers with HEPA filters. These are high-quality filters that remove at least 99.97% of PM2.5 particles. These are common in most air purification systems. They are very beneficial to

your homes and offices because they can filter out the smallest particles, resulting in the best indoor air quality. You need to keep in mind that your indoor air space could contain a lot of harmful microorganisms that are not seen with the naked eye. That is why, with HEPA filters, you can breathe easily, and you and your family’s health won’t be at risk.

Humans take around 600 to 840 per hour on average. Can you imagine the positive impact that it will have on your lungs if you are in a filtered space for 12 hours? You would then be inhaling the best indoor quality air for 7,200 to 10,080 breaths.

Thus, there is no reason for you to hesitate in buying your own purifier. There’s the Xiaomi 3 Purifier that is affordable and contains a HEPA filter. You can also opt for a DIY solution of getting your hands on a high quality HEPA filter and the taping it to a fan. As the air is pulled or pushed through the fan it is filtered. Now is the time to improve your indoor air quality by filtering out these harmful particles that can damage your lungs.

To find out more about keeping the air quality super high in your indoor area, see how we do just that here: https://www.arymask.com/making-indoor-air-clean/

If you want to boost your indoor air quality with a great selection of plants, check out this article.

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When and for what activities should we wear a mask?

A mask should be worn when the air quality is bad outside because it affects health. If there is a chance of long exposure to poor air quality people should be careful of spending too much time breathing poor air. A mask can also be worn to prevent yourself from getting sick.

This corresponds to different levels of air pollution for healthy people and the most vulnerable groups: people who suffer from chronic lung or heart disease, elderly, pregnant, and children.

N95 masks are not needed for short exposure, or when the air quality is good. N95 masks are also not needed in an indoor environment if the environment is filtered using indoor air purifiers.

There is a range of masks suitable for all activities and environments adapted to the use: in or out of the city, running, walking, commuting, sports and leisure, allergy relief, or for the work place. The more adapted a mask is to the activity and needs of the user, the more effective the protection from the effects of air pollution will be.

The most important thing about the prevention of pollutants or other harmful substances is to understand that air can be bad, and to have tools in place to battle it. During an epidemic like Covid-19, we are all very worried about getting sick. The Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that people are sold is often not helpful. We need to understand that the air we breathe can be filled with harmful particles at any time. We also need to know that prevention of substances entering our system can happen very quickly and without us even knowing. The key is to protect yourself from hazardous particles by filtering your indoor air, minimizing contact, cleaning hands frequently, and wearing a mask that is fitted. At AryMask we ensure that you get a mask that fits.

Here 3 doctors offer their knowledge about surgical VS ffp3 certified masks. They don’t however mention that even a fitted mask cannot prevent those who are around you from getting sick. Any mask with a valve for that matter will allow cough droplets to escape into your surrounding.

The Best Filters For Polluted Air

Ideally, a HEPA filter is used to remove the majority of polluted air. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air. A true HEPA filter is one that can trap 99.97 percent of dust particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter. The filter material is able to trap the particles because it is made up of very dense glass fibers. Dust particles either get stuck on impact, interception or diffusion.

HEPA filters were originally developed to clean up radioactive particles in the nuclear industry. Nowadays the filters are commonly found in households. A genuine and certified HEPA filter will guarantee prevention against mold, bacteria and viruses.

To put that in perspective, microparticles that are emitted from car exhaust is usually described as PM10 size or less than 10 microns wide. HEPA filters are therefore the best filters for closed areas.

However, people cannot wear HEPA filters as masks because they need a fan or machine to push air through them to work efficiently.

When it comes to respiratory equipment, NIOSH (the testing agency that certifies filters) recognizes 9 different types based on efficiency. Letters refer to the filter’s resistance to oils. N means not resistant to oil, R is oil resistant, and P is oil proof. The 95 label is tested to prevent against 95% of PM2.5 particles, the 99 label prevents 99% or more, and the 100 labelled masks are efficient against 99.97% of PM2.5 particles.

Active carbon is one of the most porous filter materials and is mostly used in water filters but has recently also been woven into fabrics for respirators. Active carbons can catch as much as 99.99% of particles 0.12 microns and above, about 2 times as small as what a HEPA filter removes.

The questions for some is if the pollution they are encountering is also going to be able to get into their eyes. In a place that has chemicals and toxic vapors floating in the air, a full-face respirator with organic vapor filters is best. This kind of mask should prevent against pesticides, epidemics, chemicals, as well as any particles over 0.3 microns in size.

If pollutants won’t get into the eyes, a respirator with a pair of P100 filters will do well in preventing the breathing of all toxins. A 3M gas mask is less costly than a full-face mask and the filter cartridges can be purchased separately. For different situations, the right cartridges can be used, and P100 filters can also be attached to most half size respirators.

Next in line is a high quality FFP3 certified mask, which means it’s an N99 mask called the 3M Aura 9332+. This is the disposable fabric mask that has high resistance to particles due to the thick microfiber you breathe through when wearing it. It won’t last that long though due to its rather flimsy straps.

Other N99 rated masks are the next best masks which comply with NIOSH ratings to block particles as small as 0.3 microns. There are numerous masks with N99 ratings made by many factories and branded by large or small brands like HoneyWell, 3M or Zelbuck.

Then we go down a level in protection to a respirator that blocks 97% of organic vapors, which drops it down to fit into the N95 rating.

Disposable fabric masks are usually also rated N95, which means they block 95% of PM2.5 particles, but do not resist oils. We have seen more and more affordable options available recently.

Exhalation valves are great to have on a mask because they allow you to breathe out. If you are sick however, do note that your coughs, sneezes or exhales will leave the mask through the valves. We provide masks for hot climates so they need to have valves, and we suggest to remove the mask when you sneeze or cough so your filter does not get contaminated.

Do be careful though that there are manufacturers that do not test their masks but still go ahead and stamp them with the N95, N99 or other labels. We’ve tested the fakes and they tend to only block 60-90% of particles. If you’re hesitating buying a mask because it has such an affordable price, do check the box or papers for its lot code which you can check on the manufacturer’s website for authenticity.Image result for how to tell if a 3M mask is fake