Community Chat

[pitdakota]

There was a company in Ft. Worth Texas that offered to make N95 masks for the government in late Jan. and was turned down.  He had the capacity to make somewhere over 1.5 million masks per week.  I think I read somewhere that this company is going to go ahead and retool their lines now to produce N95 masks.  Can't remember where I read or heard that, but maybe he went ahead and decided to manufacture them since they are still  needed by our health care professionals.

There are still health care agencies that need the N95s.  Several of our hospitals have set up mobile hydrogen peroxide sterilization units to sterilized used N95 masks for the nurses and doctors.  And other places still need them.  Especially long term care facilities.  Those long term care facilities don't have the finances to contract a company to come in and set up the truck to sterilize the masks.  

@Anonymous032819, if I remember correctly, your job is a federal positon?  If in that job you would need to wear that mask for prolonged periods of time at work, I don't know that I would recommend the N95.

There are other nurses that post here and they can chime in, but they are tight if you are fit tested and can be very uncomfortable.  And when working in them, I can attest that it takes a bit of getting used to.  They are tight, hot, and sometimes hard to breathe....especially if you are moving around quite a bit with work.  It is one thing to wear one for a short trip to the grocery store, but a totally different story to wear them for continuous hours at work.

So I would think the surgical mask would be a more comfortable option for a work situation.  Just remember you still need to maintain a physical distance from other people if you are wearing a surgical mask.   However, if you are coming into contact with many members of the public a surgical mask will not protect you.  Is there a way you could get both?  lol     

[Anonymous032819]

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@Snowpuppy wrote:

That video describes a respirator fit test. Respirators must be properly fitted by someone who is trained. You don't need a fit test for N 95. 

Respirators are worn by those who do hazardous material removal such as asbestos and lead paint. When I was in college I had a pt job getting bids for this type of testing.

The video is for UK standards.

Ppl getting crazier by the day.

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Yes, the video was made in the UK, but the fit test is exactly the same, and at work, we are required to watch a video that shows the same exact fit test.

Here's another video that shows the same fit test for the N95 mask.

Not respirator.

Mask.

Oh, and the video was made in the good 'ol U.S.A.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wulG-l2KiFohttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wulG-l2KiFo 

[pitdakota]

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

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@Snowpuppy wrote:

That video describes a respirator fit test. Respirators must be properly fitted by someone who is trained. You don't need a fit test for N 95. 

Respirators are worn by those who do hazardous material removal such as asbestos and lead paint. When I was in college I had a pt job getting bids for this type of testing.

The video is for UK standards.

Ppl getting crazier by the day.

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Yes, the video was made in the UK, but the fit test is exactly the same, and at work, we are required to watch a video that shows the same exact fit test.

Here's another video that shows the same fit test for the N95 mask.

Not respirator.

Mask.

Oh, and the video was made in the good 'ol U.S.A.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wulG-l2KiFohttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wulG-l2KiFo 

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Actually @Anonymous032819, that is not really a very good training video as it has several mistakes.  But it gives the general information.

But all N95s are respirator masks.  The information that they are not is incorrect.  They are technically referred to as N95 respirator masks or just N95s for short. 

[Anonymous032819]

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@pitdakota wrote:

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

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@Snowpuppy wrote:

That video describes a respirator fit test. Respirators must be properly fitted by someone who is trained. You don't need a fit test for N 95. 

Respirators are worn by those who do hazardous material removal such as asbestos and lead paint. When I was in college I had a pt job getting bids for this type of testing.

The video is for UK standards.

Ppl getting crazier by the day.

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Yes, the video was made in the UK, but the fit test is exactly the same, and at work, we are required to watch a video that shows the same exact fit test.

Here's another video that shows the same fit test for the N95 mask.

Not respirator.

Mask.

Oh, and the video was made in the good 'ol U.S.A.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wulG-l2KiFohttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wulG-l2KiFo 

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_____________________________________________________

Actually @Anonymous032819, that is not really a very good training video as it has several mistakes.  But it gives the general information.

But all N95s are respirator masks.  The information that they are not is incorrect.  They are technically referred to as N95 respirator masks or just N95s for short. 

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I'm not going to go chasing down videos, that show the same thing over and over again, just to find one that you approve of.

The one thing that these two videos have in common is to be properly fitted for a mask that carries the N95 mark on it, and for it to be the most effective, a fit test has to be done, which includes donning of the hood, where an atomizer is used to spray a fine must inside to see if you can taste it.

Next step is to have the person put on their mask that says N95 on it, and to put the hood back on, where a second atomizer is used to spray another fine must in to the hood, while the wearer moves their head side to side, up and down, bend at the waist, and read out loud.

We had to watch a video demonstrating this test where I work.

What part of that are you having a problem understanding?

Also, the masks that we can wear had the N95 on them.

Is that also understandable?

I just thought that I would impart some knowledge on how a fit test for the N95 was done.

But hey, if people would rather not know, and learn then that's not my problem.

I tried.

[germanshepherdlove]

@Anonymous032819 or @pitdakota  How are surgical masks different from the face masks that qvc is selling.  I have never held a surgical mask in my hand to do a comparison.  I realize that qvc is saying theirs are not medical quality but what is the difference since they look similar.  Thanks.

[Anonymous032819]

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@germanshepherdlove wrote:

@Anonymous032819 or @pitdakota  How are surgical masks different from the face masks that qvc is selling.  I have never held a surgical mask in my hand to do a comparison.  I realize that qvc is saying theirs are not medical quality but what is the difference since they look similar.  Thanks.

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@germanshepherdlove 

It's no different really.

It's blue on one side, white on the other, has accordion folds on it, and it has loops that go around your ears.

They're just called "surgical" , even though they're not relly.

[Anonymous032819]

Here's the other kind of mask that we can wear.

In the picture you'll notice that it has the N95 on it, as well as NIOSH.

It is for this mask that we had to watch a video on a fit test before we could wear.

[CrazyDaisy]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

I thought the N95 masks were to be reserved for medical professionals working with CoVi19 patients.  They've asked people to donate any they're able to get.

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Availability of N95 masks have greatly improved and they are available.

[reiki604]

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

Here's the other kind of mask that we can wear.

In the picture you'll notice that it has the N95 on it, as well as NIOSH.

It is for this mask that we had to watch a video on a fit test before we could wear.

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I used to do the fit testing for this mask for my staff to ensure a proper fit and application of the mask. The atomizer that is sprayed into the hood tastes like sweet and low so it's really vile and encourages the wearer to get a tight fit on the first attempt. This mask is difficult to wear for an entire shift as evidenced by the piictures of the health care providers with marks on their faces at the end of the day. 

The difference between medical grade masks and non medical is their air permeability and degree of waterproofness(?). Wearing a shield protects the eyes but is pretty worthless in protecting the mouth and nose.

[MorningLover]

Mask standards can be confusing: N95, KN95, FFP1, P2, or surgical mask? This quick run-down covers mask types, mask ratings, and their effectiveness at filtering particles.

First off, start with mask types (or certification types). In general, there are 3 (or sometimes 4) types of commonly used, disposable masks. They are single-use face masks, surgical masks, and respirators.

Mask Standards and Effectiveness Bottom Line

1. Single use masks (normally one layer, very thin) are typically only effective at capturing larger dust particles, but can do so fairly well.
2. Surgical mask standards have higher requirements for capturing virus-sized (0.1 micron) particles, however they vary by region.
3. Pollution masks (respirators) typically capture >90% of virus-sized particles. You can use the rating system in the table above to see the exact proportion each certification requires. This includes ratings such as N95, KN95, FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3.

Mask Standards Vary by Country

Each country has their own certification standard for each mask type. For example, Europe uses the EN 14683 standard for surgical masks, whereas China uses the YY 0469 standard. Each standard varies a little by country, however they are broadly similar. For respirator masks, China uses the KN standard (e.g. KN95) and the US uses the N standard (e.g. N95).

Requirements Are Lowest for Single Use Face Masks

The standard with the lowest requirements on filtration effectiveness are the single use face masks (not to be confused with surgical masks). Surgical masks have higher requirements, and respirators have the highest requirements. Respirators also usually fit tighter around the face (data shows they score higher on fit effectiveness) than surgical masks and single-use face masks.

There's so much you can find online if you have the time. Here's more from the article I posted if anyone wants to read it..

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/comparison-mask-standards-rating-effectiveness/