Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
January 22, 2021
Why Haven’t Masks Always Been an Air Pollution
Control Tool?
Five Step Approach Needed to Insure Tight
Fitting and Efficient Masks for Everyone
Honeywell Delivered 225 Million Face Masks in December
Too Polymer Supplies Melt Blown Fabrics
Double Masking is Recommended as a Major Step
Forward but Dances Around the Problem
Evaluation of Popular Masks
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Why Haven’t Masks Always Been an Air Pollution
Control Tool?
In 25 years on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Clean Air Companies I never once heard anyone say that masks were part of the solution. Wildfires, volcanoes and dust storms are natural pollutants which cannot be controlled at the stack. But what about pollutants caused by human activity?
No matter what Los Angeles does to control
pollution at the stack or tail pipe there are
going to be days where the ambient pollution
levels are far higher than in other cities where
much less effective air pollution control
equipment is in place.
Mercury from gold mines in Brazil can cause
problems as far away as Canada. The scope of air
pollution control has evolved to the point of
installing filter cubes in high density traffic
areas. The next step is to take advantage of the
ability of masks to protect people. When toxic
lead dust occasionally drifts into St Louis from
an upwind smelter hundreds of miles away, people
should be encouraged to wear masks. New
inexpensive metal analyzers now enable
measurement of lead directly rather than as part
of total particulate.
We need to move away from the attitude that if
masks are needed the air pollution control
people have failed. Masks should be viewed as an
effective tool to solve the problem when control
equipment cannot do so to the extend desired.
Five Step Approach Needed to Insure Tight
Fitting and Efficient Masks for Everyone
In the webinar yesterday Erick Couch urged that
we not overreach and provide the Administration
with a path which will
be
simple, easily understood and effective.
This can be accomplished as part of a five stage
sequence where steps 4 and 5 become very
flexible. Mask quality has to be addressed
starting with manufacturing and ending with the
final fit inspection.
Honeywell Delivered 225 Million Face Masks in
December
Honeywell achieved
a significant milestone by delivering more than
225 million face masks in the month of December
to help protect workers in response to the
increased demand for respiratory protection
products.
Honeywell delivered the N95 respirators and
disposable, surgical face masks to multiple
locations in the U.S. for health care systems,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. In addition, the company shipped
millions of masks to state and local governments
in support of their response to Covid-19 and for
their personal protective equipment (PPE)
stockpiles.
“We are honored to play a part in providing
much-needed PPE to those workers responding to
the pandemic in the U.S.,” says Praveen Reddy,
president, Honeywell’s Personal Protective
Equipment business. “Honeywell has made
significant investments to expand our capacity
to produce N95 masks and other respiratory
products in the U.S. and globally.”
Honeywell produces a range of respiratory
protection products for workers, including
NIOSH-certified N95 masks, flat-fold single-use
masks and elastomeric half-masks with
replaceable cartridges.
By steadily increasing production capacity, the
company has the ability to produce hundreds of
millions of face masks for health care and other
critical needs.
In April, Honeywell rapidly started up new N95
mask production operations at multiple
facilities in the U.S. The company was able to
begin operations in just five weeks by
accelerating a process that could normally take
up to nine months. The operations were initially
capable of producing 20 million masks per month,
and Honeywell has steadily increased capacity
throughout the year.
Too Polymer Supplies Melt Blown Fabrics
Established in 2004, Top Polymer is dedicated to
the development and manufacture of innovative,
high-quality thermoplastics.
They achieve
this from their two state-of-the-art
manufacturing facilities in Guangdong and
Jiangsu, China where they continually research
and expand their product line capabilities.
Their products are used in medical, textile and
industrial markets as well as transportation,
consumer, electrical & electronics, building &
construction, and packaging.
Double Masking is Recommended as a Major Step
Forward but Dances Around the Problem
The following recommendations about double
masking dance around the problem rather than
address it. A mask needs to be tight fitting and
efficient. If you put one loose fitting
inefficient mask over another one you are likely
to gain little advantage.
On the other hand if the outer mask is
tight fitting but inefficient but is placed over
an efficient but loose medical mask you could
get the same effect that is achieved with the
essential brace. However the essential brace is
designed for creating a tight seal. Double
masking seems to be a haphazard way to achieve
it.
Almost since the beginning of the pandemic,
experts have told the public about the
importance of three things: washing your hands,
maintaining a social or physical distance of at
least six feet and wearing a mask.
Now, researchers say that doubling up on the
last step is key as COVID is accelerating.
“It has been backed up by research that two
masks are, in fact, better than one,” CBS
Denver’s medical director Dr. Dave
Hnida told CBSN
Denver. “Specifically what we’re saying is that
two masks may actually equal the protection you
would get from N-95 masks, which is considered
the best mask there is short of a complete
respirator-type unit.”
He added that using two masks creates “an
obstacle course for the viral particle to make
its way from the air into your nose and throat
and then into your lungs.”
That notion has been backed up by other experts
including one in virus transmission at Virginia
Tech, Linsey Marr.
She told the
New York Times that “if you combine
multiple layers, you start achieving pretty high
efficiencies” of preventing the virus from
coming through and leaving the airways.
Research published in the journal Med,
which Marr was part of, noted people can either
wear a cloth mask snuggly over the top of a
surgical mask, with the latter acting as a
filter and the former providing another layer of
filtration, or wear a three-layer mask with
outer layers made of a flexible, tightly woven
fabric that can fit the face well. The middle
layer on this mask would be a non-woven,
high-efficiency filter material akin to that of
a vacuum bag.
But a three-layer mask — which the World Health
Organization has
said should
be the make-up of fabric masks — is different
from wearing three different masks in an effort
to triple mask and increase protection against
the coronavirus. Doing that could cause more
harm than good.
Evaluation of Popular Masks.
Insider
has been rating popular masks. Criteria are
absent filter efficiency and fit estimates .
McIlvaine has added some additional
information. Twenty-two masks are included in
the analysis. We covered two previously but here
are some more.
Buck Mason M1 All-Day Anti-Microbial Face Mask
Buck Mason Face Masks (5-pack)
Whether we like it or not, masks have become a
part of our style. I hated the look of white or
patterned masks when I wore all black, so I gave
Buck Mason's M1 mask a try.
It has tie-back adjustable ear straps, which
makes it a comfortable fit for just about any
head and face type. The tie-back straps are
great for keeping your mask in place, so you
don't have to keep adjusting it. If you have a
habit of constantly taking your mask off, this
might be a good way to keep one on and stay
safe. Remember, it's important to touch your
mask as little as possible.
As someone who wears glasses all the time, my
only gripe with this was the lack of an
adjustable nose bridge. I experienced some
fogging, but the new M2 version, which does have
an adjustable nose bridge, should solve that. I
plan on testing the updated version soon. —
Amir Ismael, reporter
McIlvaine Additions:
The company says the M2 Face Mask is all about
simplicity, function, and all-day comfort. It
has added a nose bridge that conforms to the
contour of your face for maximum comfort and
channels the air downward (this helps to
minimize glasses fogging up). Cut from soft pima
cotton with lightweight adjustable elastic ear
loops, reinforced seams, and anti-microbial
coating, this washable triple-layer mask allows
you to be both considerate and comfortable.
Nothing is said about efficiency other than it
is not designed for medical purposes.
Halo Nanofilter Mask
HALO Black Mesh Mask With Gray Trim With Halo
Nanofilter
Originally $34.95
Save 14%
I've worn quite a few masks throughout the
pandemic, and the Halo Nanofilter mask is by far
the most sturdy one I own. As someone who
usually goes for masks with more personality, I
was surprised by how much I like wearing this
one. With the bendable latex nose pad holding
the mask in place on my nose, the thin layer of
cotton at the bottom preventing the mask from
riding up, and the adjustable ear clips, the
mask is comfortable and never needs adjusting.
Although I don't wear glasses, when I tried the
mask on with a pair, I found that the glasses
rarely fogged up. Inside the mask, there is
space for the Nanofilter, that is said to work
200 hours but needs to be removed and placed
back in when washed. The filter is held in place
by a little bar that also gives the mask some
shape.
Despite the multiple layers, the mask still
feels light and breathable. Although it isn't
the cheapest mask on this list, it is worth
every penny and comes in four colors and two
patterns. — Lily Oberstein, Story
Production Fellow
McIlvaine Additions: The advertising says
With advanced HALO Nanofilter™ technology from
New Zealand, you can breathe confidently knowing
that you and those around you are well
protected. The HALOmask captures over 99% of all
airborne particulates in both directions down to
0.1µm (microns).
