Mask and Respirator – What’s the Difference?
Masks are protective devices that loosely cover the nose and mouth and trap the wearer’s fluids, preventing contamination of the environment. Such are, for example, surgical masks. Their main idea is to protect the person opposite, not the wearer. For example, a surgical mask protects the patient from the operator’s fluids when sneezing, coughing, etc. It is good to clarify from the beginning that although masks are not designed to protect the wearer, but others, wearing them is by no means devoid of meaning for personal protection . According to some studies, it doesn’t even really matter whether you wear a high-end N95 respirator or a simple surgical mask.
According to one such American study of 2,862 medical workers divided into two groups – with a high-end N95 respirator and a surgical mask, 207 were infected in the respirator group and 193 in the mask group when exposed to an environment with influenza infection, meaning that the difference is statistically insignificant.
Respirators are tight-fitting facepieces that create a “face seal.” Valveless respirators provide two-way protection – to the wearer and others, by filtering the air flow on both sides. They protect the wearer from different particles to a different degree, depending on the class with which they are certified.
Respirators can also have one or more valves , which reduce breathing resistance and facilitate exhalation, which makes them more comfortable when you have to work with them for more hours, and also reduces the accumulation of moisture on the inside. This is a particularly useful feature for the higher grade (N100, FFP3) where more exhalation effort is required. The presence of the valve, however, reduces the filtration of the air flow to the outside and makes it possible for the carrier to infect others by airborne droplets. On the other hand, respirators can be disposable or reusable with replaceable filters, which also have different degrees of protection.
The most frequently discussed respirator standard is the N95 , which is American and administered by the Centers for Disease Control’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In Europe, two standards have been adopted – FFP ( filtering face piece ) and P (P1, P2, P3).
Filtration against the coronavirus
Respirators are qualified by their percentage of filtration of particles 0.3 microns (300 nm) and larger. This does not mean that respirators do not filter smaller particles – the number 0.3 was chosen not in vain. Particles of this size are the most penetrating because they lie between normal motion and Brownian motion.
As for the coronavirus, it is between 0.06 and 0.14 microns in size (ie 60-140 nm). According to some data, FFP1 respirators filter up to 96.6% of particles 0.007 microns (7 nm) and larger, meaning they filter out particles much smaller than the coronavirus. In FFP2 and FFP3, this percentage is even higher. The gold standard in medical practice when working with infectious patients are respirators N95/FFP2, FFP3, etc. with similar filtration capacity.
FFP1 and P1 respirators filter at least 80% of particles 0.3 microns and larger. FFP2 and P2 respirators filter at least 94% of particles 0.3 microns and larger. For N95 respirators, this percentage is at least 95%; in N99 and FFP3 it is at least 99%; For P3 respirators, the percentage is at least 99.95%; in N100 respirators it is at least 99.97%.
Closest to the American N95 standard is the European FFP2 and P2. KN95 is another Chinese standard that is equivalent to the American N95.
But are higher-end respirators better?
This is not always true. The standards listed reflect the smallest percentage of particulate filtration. For example, FFP2 respirators filter at least 94% of particles 0.3 microns and larger but filter between 94% and 99%.
The difference between N and P respirators?
N= not resistant to oil; P= Strongly oil proof; R= somewhat resistant to oil; or in other words, P respirators are resistant to various solvents and are suitable when working with pesticides, etc. organic substances that compromise normal filtration in N ( not resistant to oil ) respirators. R respirators show some resistance, but not completely. In medical environments for infection prevention, there is no need to use a P respirator normally. There is also a fourth type – a fluid-resistant surgical respirator, which is resistant to fluids under pressure (for example, when spraying blood under high pressure).
How long can you wear a respirator?
An extremely important issue – it is normal and most optimal to use a respirator once, especially when it comes to medical purposes, except for reusable ones, where there are replaceable filters and they are changed at a certain period (in case of difficulty breathing, sense of smell in the respirator, etc.).
There are no official standards and recommendations for how long a single-use respirator should be worn, but the most optimal change time is 2-4 hours and no longer than a day when it comes to medical purposes, due to the high risk of contamination. However, for other non-medical purposes, it does not prevent the repeated use of respirators.
According to one study, in 11 days, the filtration capacity of the respirator decreased by only 1.4%. So if you use it for painting, spraying with detergents, working in a contaminated environment, etc. you can safely use it more than once.
Can masks and respirators be disinfected?
In the conditions of shortage of personal protective equipment, there was also an exchange of information on the disinfection of respirators and masks and their repeated use – using UV radiation, heating in an oven at 70 degrees for 30 minutes, etc. In no case should you disinfect respirators with alcohol and chlorine preparations – they destroy the filter, on the one hand, and on the other, the chlorine molecules retained in it are then inhaled. In any case, it is not advisable, except in extreme cases, to use the respirator repeatedly.
About paid masks
Regarding cloth-sewn masks – their filtration capacity is extremely low and varies between 10-40% for large particles, depending on the number of layers (three- and four-layer masks are the most effective), the types of materials of the layers, the degree of sticking to the nose and mouth, etc. In some cases, wearing a reusable cloth mask can be even more dangerous than walking without a mask – the accumulation of moisture, poor wearing practice (touching the front of the mask, wearing it for more than 2-3 hours, improper and irregular washing) is a prerequisite for bacterial contamination and respiratory infection.
Cloth-sewn masks mainly protect two-way from larger droplet particles, as well as larger dust particles. When you have to wear such a mask, it is good that it is at least three- or four-layer, with an outer fabric resistant to water droplets, to change and wash every 2-3 hours during intensive use.
Whatever mask and respirator you wear, do not touch them after putting them on the front.
The material is informative and cannot replace consultation with a doctor. Before starting treatment, you must consult a doctor.
