“Wearing a mask and coping with heatstroke measures” Development and innovation in various regions

“Coexistence of wearing masks and measures against heat stroke” Progressing development and innovation in various places June 10 17:33

This summer, when both infectious disease countermeasures and heat stroke countermeasures are required.
In various places, various masks are being developed, such as developing new masks and devising ways to put them on.

Hiroshima fabric mask production

A clothing manufacturer in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, manufactures fabric masks for the summer, made of breathable materials.

Fukuyama City's clothing manufacturers have been receiving orders for women's clothing from the effects of the new coronavirus, but they are taking advantage of vacant production lines to start producing fabric masks for the summer.

The problem is that when you wear a mask on a hot day, it is easy to feel stuffy, so we use a special breathable fabric used for summer clothing.

According to the manufacturer, this mask is dry and easy to feel, and it dries quickly, such as perspiration, which makes it quick-drying.

About 20,000 pieces are produced every week and sold through the internet.

Although the company has devised a mask that makes it easier to feel cool, it calls for proper measures against heat stroke, such as drinking water when the temperature is high.

Hiroshi Fukunaga, Managing Director of "Apparel Eye," said, "By applying technology such as pleating for women's clothing, we were able to achieve good breathability. We will continue to improve the fabric and design and create masks that will make you feel as comfortable as possible. I want to continue."

Iris Ohyama Mask development with suppressed temperature

Iris Oyama, a major manufacturer of daily necessities, is developing a mask that can suppress the rise in the temperature of the face when wearing it by improving breathability.

Headquartered in Sendai City, Iris Oyama introduced new equipment into the space that was previously used as a warehouse in Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture, and began domestic production of masks this month, and next month it will be about 1 month. We are going to produce 150 million pieces.

We are currently developing products for that purpose, and are trying to develop a mask that can keep the temperature of the face when wearing it from rising by increasing breathability while maintaining the function of cutting off flying particles.

This company has already made masks in its own factory in China, but it is said that it succeeded in improving breathability by using special fine fibers in the filter part compared to conventional masks.

Analysis of the prototype by a third-party research institute showed that the breathability was increased 1.4 times without compromising the ability to cut off the fly.

Furthermore, according to our own research using thermography,
we were able to reduce the temperature rise of the face when wearing the mask to half that of conventional masks.

“We have continued to develop products with a focus on low prices, but we believe that the number of people who demand high-quality products will increase as the supply stabilizes,” said Ms. Mikako Kishi, director of Iris Ohyama Healthcare Division. I would like to proceed with the creation of products that can only be made in Japan."

Widespread development of summer masks in different industries

Apparel companies and other companies are also expanding the movement to develop masks for summer by utilizing their unique materials and sewing technology.

Yonex, a sports equipment manufacturer, has
developed a mask that uses a unique cool feeling material .

This material contains plant-derived ingredients, has the function of absorbing heat in response to sweat, and is also used in sportswear such as tennis.

However, if you wear it for a long time in the hot sun or if you exercise vigorously, there is a risk of heat stroke, so I would like you to refrain from wearing a mask.

Mr. Nanami Oka, Yonex Wear Development Department, said, "I want users to experience the cool material technology used in sportswear through masks."

AOKI, a major men's clothing company, has developed a summer mask that uses a jersey fabric that is highly breathable and does not easily get damp.

In addition to improving the fit of the mask by making use of the three-dimensional sewing technology cultivated in making suits, it means that the fabric layer is reduced by one layer compared to the mask for the whole year and the breathability is
improved.

It is said that it also has UV protection that protects the skin from the sun.

Regarding summer masks, FAST RETAILING, which develops UNIQLO, and the development of masks that use the material of AIRism, which claims good breathability, are entering the market in different industries.

Mail delivery without a mask outdoors

To prevent heat stroke, Japan Post has begun efforts to deliver it outside by removing its mask.

Japan Post is limited to when wearing a mask this month, such as when it is delivered indoors or when it is face-to-face with the user, when traveling on a motorcycle or car, or when delivering to an outdoor mailbox. Keeps a distance from people and removes the mask.

On the 10th, at a post office in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, a delivery man wore a mask when sorting mail items on the bureau or loading it on a motorcycle, but when leaving, he removed it and headed for delivery. It was

And again, I was wearing a mask in the mailbox in the apartment complex.

This effort is scheduled until October this year, and we are requesting the user's understanding by putting a sticker on the motorcycle that the mask is removed to prevent heat stroke.

Ryotaro Ito of the Hongo Post Office said, “I'm grateful to be able to remove it because I get a lot of heat when I'm wearing a mask. I want to deliver while paying attention to my physical condition.”

As a measure against the heat of the delivery staff, we also remove the masks when Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express are driving or outdoors when there are no people nearby.

Construction site fumbling efforts

At construction sites, where work is carried out under strong sunlight, we are beginning to groping for both heat stroke and infection control.

Approximately 300 people are working at the expressway construction site that Shimizu, a major general contractor, is promoting in Yamakita Town, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Workers work after measuring their body temperature, but they often talk to each other on site and the rule is to wear a mask even when the temperature rises.

He wears work clothes with an electric fan that blows in the air, but he still says that wearing a mask puts a strain on his body.

For this reason, the company has distributed a mouse shield that covers the mouth with a transparent plastic film, allowing it to be used as a mask only outdoors.

The mouse shield prevents flying to a certain extent, and unlike ordinary masks, there is a space in the mouth so it is hard to feel stuffy, so a man of the worker said, ``If you use a mask, your mouth will be stuffy, but it will be stuffy, The mouse shield is cool and I appreciate it."

However, the mouse shield is not expected to be as effective in preventing flying as a normal mask.

For this reason, the company used to wear a mask indoors, and workers had to remove the mouse shield and switch to the mask when entering the rest area.

At the site we interviewed, we are taking measures such as increasing the number of rest areas to more than 30 places, which is almost double the amount we used to, and limiting the number of people so that workers are not crowded. "I was worried that my mask was difficult to breathe, so I decided to take this action after worries. When the construction was stopped, many people lost their jobs and I will be late, so I would like to take adequate measures."