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These days, on a hot day, many people are looking for a thin, light, anti-drop mask, surgical mask, or so-called dental mask. However, many of the products on the market, called dental masks, are disposable masks that have not been certified by the health authorities.

Then, reporter Park Chan-bum figured out what to look for.

<Reporter> It is

a light and thin square shape mask that can be easily found in hypermarkets and pharmacies.

Surgical masks used in medical institutions are similar in shape to so-called dental masks, so they are often sold like the same product.

[Salesperson: Yes customer. It is a dental mask for medical purposes.] It

is difficult for consumers to distinguish.

[Lee Ji-won/Seoul Yangcheon-gu: (Jin-in) gave me a gift, but I don't know whether it is a dental mask or a disposable set. I just wear it well.]

But most of them are disposable industrial masks that are not certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

The full-scale surgical mask is a'non-medical product' that has been certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety through tests such as liquid resistance and bacterial blocking, but its anti-splash effect has been verified. You can not.

When KAIST research team compared 1 type of surgical mask with 3 types of disposable masks on the market, the filter tissue of the surgical mask was more dense, and some disposable masks also suffered from changes in the surrounding environment such as humidity. .
[Song Hyun-seop / KAIST Research Institute of Materials Science and Engineering: In the case of (disposable) masks, it may be said that it is a dental mask. .]

Therefore, if you want to purchase a surgical mask that has been certified for performance, you can check the'Quality Mark'.

The government said it would pursue a plan to increase the general supply of anti-splash masks and surgical masks that are currently suffering from shortages.

(Video coverage: Park Hyun-cheol, Video editing: Kim Jong-tae)