Chinanews Client Beijing March 5th: Question: Homemade masks, disposable mask pads, electric masks ... fancy masks, does it work?
Author: Yu-kun left
During the epidemic, the first thing to think of when I got up every day: did the mask shaker reach me? Can e-commerce platform mask spikes be grabbed? Are the pharmacy masks available?
Right now, people who have not yet been able to easily buy masks have to think of some other way. As a result, the popularity of homemade masks, disposable mask pads, and electric masks has risen. Can these various fancy masks work?
Citizens buy protective products such as masks, disinfection and sterilization supplies in pharmacies. (Infographic) Photo by Liu Zhankun
Homemade masks: consideration of hygienic conditions and tightness
What to do if I can't buy a mask?
The average person: Not going out. Overbearing President: Give me 11 days!
Not long ago, Guan Xunze, a man born in the 80s, got a fire. During the Spring Festival, he ran 9 cities across the country to buy masks for 9 days without success, and finally decided to build his own mask factory. On February 24, tens of thousands of N95 masks were put on the market. It took only 11 days from the time when the mask was not bought to the final production of the factory.
Guan Xunze went to the workshop to guide employees to produce masks. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yu Haiyang
We do not have the financial resources to "contract mask factories", but the "homemade mask material kits" sold on e-commerce platforms seem to give us the opportunity to "do it yourself, masks I have".
It is not difficult to find keywords such as "homemade masks" on the e-commerce platform. The mask materials sold in these stores mainly include mask nasal bridge strips, mask earbands, and the fabric of the mask body. The general fabric includes three layers: the innermost skin-friendly water-absorbing layer, the middle anti-bacterial melt-blown layer, and the outermost anti-fog water-blocking layer. The buyer only needs to stitch the materials provided by the seller.
Many sellers are marked on the detail page with a reminder like "Not a medical mask, usually out for a short time, such as shopping." In the comments, most of the buyers also expressed satisfaction: "It would be nice to have this in very unusual times."
Homemade mask materials sold on an e-commerce website. Screenshot
But at the same time, some people also questioned: "The most important thing in making a mask is the process of disinfection and sterilization. Has this been sterilized? I am worried about health problems."
In this regard, Li Guimei, vice chairman of the China Industrial Textiles Industry Association, said that the mask has a three-layer structure, and both the inner and outer layers are supporting structures. The most important thing is the melt-blown cloth that has a filtering effect in the middle layer. How to ensure the quality of meltblown cloth sold online is a problem.
"The material of the meltblown cloth used as a mask is different from the cloth used for clothing. It has performance indicators such as bacterial filtration effect and particulate matter filtration effect. Meltblown cloth also undergoes electret treatment, that is, injects electric charge, and absorbs particles by electrostatic effect to filter The effect is longer. But people do n’t understand and ca n’t see the test report. They may buy inferior or fake materials. ”
She said that the material of the meltblown cloth is very thin and has very low strength, which can be deformed or damaged at the touch of a hand, which may cause damage to the strong structure during transportation. In addition, the factory uses ultrasonic methods to press the edge of the mask, sewing at home may cause tight sealing, and it may not fit the face shape. "At the same time, it is difficult to guarantee the hygiene of making masks at home, and these situations require consumers to consider."
Some practitioners in the field of medical equipment have reminded that even if more professional materials are used, the anti-virus effect of masks is still far from that of regular masks due to manufacturing process problems. Self-made masks should not be used in crowded places or high-risk areas. They can only be used at home or when going out for a short time.
Disposable mask pads: pay attention to medical testing standards
People without masks find ways to make them, while those with masks in their hands find ways to "renew" their lives. As a result, many people have planted disposable mask pads: when wearing a mask, attach the mask pad to the inside of the mask to extend the life of the mask.
The principle of the mask pad is also very simple: when using a mask containing such a pad, the breath exhaled by the wearer first penetrates the pad, and a part of the moisture will be trapped or absorbed by the pad, so the amount of moisture reaching the filter layer of the mask is It is possible to reduce, thus reducing the attenuation of static electricity in the filter layer due to moisture.
This simpler solution is sought after by more people. Searching for "disposable mask pads" on the e-commerce platform, the top-ranked merchants have monthly sales of more than 95,000.
Mask pads sold on electronic merchandise tables are sold in high volumes. Screenshot
But the evaluation of the mask pad is not very good. "Unable to stick, poor quality, not as thick as a napkin" became the key words of the comment area. Some netizens said: To put it plainly, I think this is that the supply of masks can't keep up, just a whole placebo.
So, can this mask pad be used?
"It is not recommended to buy mask pads made by unknown manufacturers that have not passed the medical test standard; after passing the medical test standard disposable mask pads, pay attention to whether it is breathable, fits to the face, and covers the nose and nose. Otherwise, it will also affect the filtering effect. "" Doctor Lilac "has published a post for science popularization.
Li Guimei also said that the material of the mask pad also needs to have a filtering effect, such as meltblown non-woven fabrics, not ordinary non-woven fabrics. At the same time, the filter material must have a test report to prove that its bacterial filtration effect reaches 95% and particulate matter filtration effect reaches 90%.
Some people also believe that this approach has certain problems: "The gasket mainly replaces the inner skin-friendly layer, but the outer layer and the filter layer are still contaminated, and long-term use may also cause problems."
It can be said that when wearing a mask containing a disposable gasket, it is necessary to pay special attention to the tightness of the mask and the face, because some too thick gaskets will affect the tightness. In addition, it should be noted that the role of the gasket is relatively limited. How long can the mask be worn after using the gasket?
Electric masks: filter elements are the most important factor
"I can't take off masks at work, I'm a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, I bought an electric mask to ventilate and live." In the case of lack of mask resources, the haze product of electric masks once again jumped into the public eye, focusing on filtering efficiency Feet, and not wearing stuffy.
The electric mask is similar to the fresh air system. There is a fan inside to suck in the outside air. The outside air will be filtered by the filter element and enter the inside, which is used to solve the problem of dullness when wearing a mask for a long time. At the same time, timely ventilation can also improve the lens fogging problem that plagues the "spectacles party."
In simple terms, the structure of the electric mask is a filter element plus an "electric fan". The filter element is used to filter particulate matter, and the electric fan is used to make the wearer more comfortable.
A search on the Internet found that the average price of electric masks was around two to three hundred yuan, and replacing one filter element cost more than ten to twenty dollars, which can be said to be "painful every second." What about its filtering effect?
There are many brands of electric masks on the market. Screenshot
"The factors that determine the filtering effect of a mask are mainly two aspects. One is whether the internal filter element, that is, the filter cotton or the screen material, is the most important factor. The second is the fit of the mask to the face during wearing. The better the fit, the higher the purification efficiency. "Zhang Weichao, director of the Performance Laboratory of the Fresh Air Purification System of the Health Appliance Testing Center of China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute, believes that, in essence, the protective effect of electric masks should be the same as that of N95 masks.
Some people in the medical industry said that, in theory, as long as the quality is passed and the air-tight seal is attached, you can consider using electric masks when you can't buy a mask. Because the electric mask plays the role of anti-virus in the filter element, when buying, you must first see if the filter element has reached the standard of GB2626-2006-commonly known as KN90, KN95 standards are the levels in this standard.
However, at present, the state has not issued corresponding regulatory standards for such products. The quality of electric masks on the market is uneven, and consumers need to be cautious when buying. According to Zhang Weichao, the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute plans to start the development of electric air supply mask standards in 2020.
Is your mask enough? What measures have been taken to alleviate the difficulty of masks?