Face Mask

But unfortunately, people with allergies are also advised to use a mouth mask. They protect us from inhaling pollen or fine dust. In general, mouth masks filter out particles with a diameter of 2.5 µm from the air.

When to use a 3-layer surgical mouth mask?

Unfortunately, this type of mask does not need to be shown to anyone. During the pandemic, we wore surgical masks daily. But many people also refer to these disposable mouth masks as medical masks. However, before and after the covid epidemic, many places wore this type of protective equipment on a daily basis.

Mouth masks are regularly worn by workers in the health and food industries, or by workers who manufacture medical devices. This is to protect themselves and patients from infection. This type of mask is made of a three-layer filter material and is disposable after use. They provide minimal protection against inhalation of aerosols and bacterial particles, but are not designed to filter all harmful substances from the air.

Applications of FFP2 and FFP3 mouth masks

FFP2 and FFP3 masks are worn when a higher level of protection is needed than that provided by surgical mouth masks. It should be made clear that the textile versions offer almost no protection. But let us return to the FFP type of mask. These are used in the construction, mining, chemical and healthcare industries as they provide effective protection against dust, cement, mould and pollen.

But if you have a medical condition that puts you at risk from a simple flu, be sure to wear a minimum FFP2 mouth mask. If you come across a mask with N95 or KN95, don't be alarmed, it covers the American or Chinese version, which is fully compliant with the European FFP2 standard. The same is true for the N100 mouth mask, as it is the US version of FFP3.

To what extent do FFP mouth masks filter airborne aerosols?

FFFP stands for Face Filtering Piece. The numbering indicates the level of protection. The higher the number, the more protection the mask provides, i.e. the higher the concentration of pollutants, the higher the respiratory protection class. FFP1 masks filter out at least 80 percent of particles.

FFP2 respirators filter out at least 94 percent of bacteria and aerosols, and FFP3 respirators filter out at least 99 percent. FFP protective equipment placed on the EU market must bear the CE marking in accordance with EU Regulation 2016/425. For this purpose, the mask is type-tested, meaning that if such a mark is on the product, we can be absolutely sure that the amount of aerosols or bacteria is actually filtered out of the air.

Chemical masks protect us from toxic gases and vapours

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These types of masks contain a powerful filter to neutralise toxic chemical gases and vapours, and are also suitable for filtering out dangerous chemicals. These types of masks fit our faces perfectly. These protective equipment are commonly used in agriculture, the chemical industry, and many areas of industry.

But if you need this type of mask, be sure to check which toxic substance it protects against, because some offer protection against carbon monoxide or sulphur dioxide, and some are effective against chemical gases. It always depends on what filter is in the mask.

How to use mouth masks correctly

The most important thing when wearing a mouth mask is to follow the rules on duration of use and disposal. If you have bought a disposable mouth mask, you should really only wear it once. The second is that the mask will protect you properly if you wear it correctly, i.e. it fits tightly to your face and is properly adjusted around your nose.

If you wear it only once, you should use it only once.

However, if you have a beard or a scar on your face, you need to be more careful when putting on that mask. We can check that it is being worn correctly by taking a big breath of air when we put it on, and then moving the mask. However, there is one more detail to be aware of: once you have it on, don't touch your face or mouth, as this can also cause infection.