mask vs respirator

In this era of Corona panic and fear, there are lot of confusions and misconceptions existing regarding the use of mask. So to clear the confusion here is a piece of information regarding cloth mask, surgical mask and respirators.

Q1 ... What are the common types of masks

Ans... 

1 Cloth mask

2 Surgical mask

Q2... What are the Respirators

Ans.

N- 95

N- 99

N- 100

are the respirators

Q3.. what is the difference between mask and respirator

Ans..

Mask has  loose fit, it doesn't seal nose and mouth snugly.

During respiration air moves along the edges of the mask, while respirator has tight seal and most of the times air passes only through its material after filtration.

Q4... Are all respirator masks are same

Ans...

No, respirators are graded according to their filtration efficiency.

According to the used filter type

According to the type of materials used 

And additional features

They are of different types.

Q5... what is the efficiency grading

Ans...

According to the efficiency of filtration these are usually graded as-

95, 99 and 100

Means these respirator masks are capable of traping 95%, 99% and 99.9% of particles, smaller up to the 0.3 micron size.

This grading can also be done as

P1 (FFP1) - 80%

P2 (FFP2) - 95%

P3 (FFP3) - 99.95%

Filtration efficiency.

Q.6.. what is the N,R or P meaning written over mask

Ans...

N - not oil proof

R- oil resistant

P- oil proof

(Eg. N 95 is not oil proof).

Q7. Few repirator masks have valve, what is that.

Ans..

That valve is nothing but a simple exhalation port with one way valve mechanism, it reduces effort of expiration, reduce heat inside the mask, dissipate humidity and reduce co2 the amount of from the  dead space of mask.

Q.8.. When to use surgical masks.

Ans... Surgical mask or procedure mask is the most common mask used by health workers. 

It is not designed to protect wearer from inhaling the air born bacteria and viruses.

 It is used to block only large particle droplets, splashes, sprays or splatter.

It also reduce the exposure of wearer's saliva and respiratory secretions to  others. Surgical mask also remind wearer not to touch their mouth/nose which could otherwise transfer virus/bacteria after having touched a contaminated surface.

Q9... what is the filtration capacity of surgical mask

Ans... It can vary between 10-90% according to the manufacturer.

Q..10.. how one can assure about the quality of mask

Ans..

Mask should be certified by the

NIOSH (National institute for occupational safety and health)

Or

NPPTL (National personal protective technology laboratory)

Q.11... Does cloth mask effective?

Ans.

Cloth is a wooven material thus pore size is bigger than surgical mask which is made up of non wooven polypropylene material thus cloth mask is less effective than surgical mask in terms of filtration efficiency.

Q..12 ... Does extra layer improve efficacy of cloth mask

Ans.. No, it's not advisable. Each extra layer adds only 2% of extra protection on the cost of comfort .

Q.13... Can surgical/cloth mask be used routinely

Ans.

Yes these can be used routinely. 

Few studies done on normal population concluded that the use of simple mask can decrease the incidence of flu up to 75%.

Few east asian countries following this practice of routine use of mask.

Q.14.. Can mask be reused?

Ans. -Cloth mask can be reused after washing

- Surgical mask should be discarded after single use or after soiled

- Respirator mask should be discarded when resistance of breathing get increased or get solied.

Viruses/bacterias can grow and flourish inside the reused mask.

There is limited guidance and clinical research to inform on the use of reusable cloth face masks for protection against respiratory viruses. Available evidence shows that they are less protective than surgical masks and may even increase the risk of infection due to moisture, liquid diffusion and retention of the virus.

 In the context of severe personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, and only if

 surgical masks or respirators are not available, home-made cloth masks (e.g. scarves) are proposed as a last-resort  interim solution