As an important part of personal protection, disposable masks play a significant role in daily personal protection. So what are the things you must know about disposable masks? I hope the following introduction will be helpful to everyone.
Categories of disposable masks
N95 masks
What is an N95 mask
The N95 mask is one of the 9 types of particle protection masks certified by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health).
“N” means oil-resistant, and “95” means that when exposed to a specified number of special test particles, the particle concentration inside the mask is more than 95% lower than the particle concentration outside the mask.
The value of 95% is not an average value, but a minimum value. The N95 protection level means that under the test conditions specified by the NIOSH standard, the mask filter material has a filtration efficiency of 95% for non-oily particles (such as dust, acid mist, paint mist, microorganisms, etc.). N95 is not a specific product name. As long as it meets the N95 standard and passes the NIOSH review, it can be called an “N95 mask”. The filtration efficiency of the N90 mask is 90%.
Scope of use of N95 masks:
Protection of medical staff and related personnel to prevent airborne respiratory infectious diseases; basic protection of medical staff or related personnel, and prevention of blood, body fluids, and splashes during invasive operations;
Disposable sanitary care in ordinary environments, or blocking or protecting particles other than pathogenic microorganisms such as pollen.
Other levels of particle-proof masks certified by NIOSH include: N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99, P100, a total of 9 types. These protection levels can cover the protection range of N95.
“N” means oil-resistant, suitable for non-oily particles, and there is no limit on the use time.
“R” stands for oil resistance, suitable for oily or non-oily particles. If used to protect against oily particles, the use time shall not exceed 8 hours.
“P” stands for oil resistance, suitable for oily or non-oily particles. If used for oily particles, the use time should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
“95”, “99” and “100” refer to the filtration efficiency level when tested with 0.3-micron particles. “95” means the filtration efficiency is above 95%, “99” means the filtration efficiency is above 99%, and “100” means the filtration efficiency is above 99.7%.
KN95 mask
What is the KN95 mask
KN95 is the classification of anti-particle masks in the Chinese national standard GB2626-2006, which refers to masks with a filtration efficiency of more than 95% for non-oily particles above 0.075 microns. According to performance, it is divided into two categories, KN and KP. KN is only suitable for filtering non-oily particles, and KP is suitable for filtering oily particles.
KN series:
KN100: Filtration efficiency of non-oily particles larger than 0.075 microns is greater than 99.97%
KN95: Filtration efficiency of non-oily particles larger than 0.075 microns is greater than 95%
KN90: Filtration efficiency of non-oily particles larger than 0.075 microns is greater than 90%
KP series:
KP100: Filtration efficiency of oily particles larger than 0.185 microns is greater than 99.97%
KP 95: Filtration efficiency of oily particles larger than 0.185 microns is greater than 95%
KP90: Filtration efficiency of oily particles larger than 0.185 microns is greater than 90%
Scope of use of KN90 masks:
It is mainly suitable for industries that produce oily and non-oily particle pollutants such as dust, smoke, fog, etc. larger than 0.185 microns, such as non-ferrous metal processing, metallurgy, steel, coking, coal gas, organic chemicals, food processing, construction, decoration, petrochemicals, asphalt, etc.
Therefore, the technical requirements and testing methods of KN95 masks and N95 masks are basically the same, but they conform to the standards of different countries.
Medical surgical masks
Medical surgical masks are masks worn by medical staff when working. They are mainly used in medical environments with high requirements such as medical clinics, laboratories, and operating rooms. They have a relatively high safety factor and strong resistance to bacteria and viruses. Medical surgical masks can also be used to prevent the spread of influenza and respiratory diseases. Medical surgical masks have three layers, from the outside to the inside, namely the waterproof layer, the filter layer, and the comfort layer. The comfort layer is a layer of gauze.
Comprehensive performance comparison
- From the perspective of protection ability: N95 mask ≈ KN95 mask > N90 mask > medical surgical mask > ordinary mask
- From the perspective of wearing comfort: ordinary mask ≈ medical surgical mask > KN95 mask ≈ N95 mask
