Choosing the right protective mask: here are the criteria to take into account !

The news for a few months is worrying. Day after day, thousands of people are dying from the so-called Covid-19 pandemic. No continent has remained on the sidelines of this planetary crisis. And if to date, no remedy has been found to counter this pandemic, it is important to take precautions either to avoid being contaminated, or to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.

Among the precautions to be taken, it is generally required to wear protective masks. However, wearing a protective mask is not enough to protect you. You must wear a good protective mask.

It is then necessary to take into account certain criteria to choose your mask. To help you, we will successively discuss in this article what a protective mask is, the advantages of using one even though its wearing is now compulsory in some countries, the criteria to be taken into consideration to make a good choice. , etc.

A protective mask, what is it? ?

The protective mask is a sanitary device with which one covers the face or at least a part such as the eyes, the nose or the mouth. The objective is to allow its user to protect themselves against viruses, pathogens capable of causing illness, vapours, gases, fumes, etc. which do not mix well with health. There are a variety of them on the market.

And the rage of the Coronavirus pandemic has given it a helping hand yet again.

Why wear protective masks ?

It is easy to see that people who wear protective masks are frowned upon, because they are considered dangerous. Fortunately, the so-called Covid-19 pandemic has changed the perception of things a little. To something misfortune is good, they say. It must be revealed that wearing masks is very crucial for:

• Protect your environment, your loved ones when you have symptoms of a contagious disease through the respiratory or oral route. Whether you are at home or in a public place, wearing a mask eliminates the likelihood of contagion.
• Protect yourself against a virus. Here, it is appropriate to say that the protective mask plays a barrier effect, therefore prevents the passage of viral and bacterial agents.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW : Wearing masks alone is not enough to prevent the contagion of certain diseases such as Coronavirus. It is therefore more than necessary to scrupulously respect the health measures taken by the various authorities to protect citizens: confinement, hand washing to name but a few of these measures.

Who should wear a protective mask ?

Everyone must wear a protective mask, because no one is immune to viral or bacterial infections. It is for this reason that the wearing of masks has been generalized in several countries as part of the fight against Covid-19. However, it can be seen that the wearing of masks is intended primarily for people carrying viral or bacterial diseases, for health professionals who treat these people (surgeons, doctors, nurses, firefighters transporting people infected or surgeons, etc.).

What are the types of protective masks available on the market ?

A plethora of protective masks are released. There are, for example, disposable masks, reusable masks, masks with replaceable cartridges, masks machine washable at 60 degrees on a “cotton” cycle after each use, each manipulation. The advantage of these latest categories of masks is that they prevent you from spending too much in these times when confinement becomes widespread and without being a bad auspicious bird, the situation is not ready to stop anytime soon.

Which mask to choose between the different models available on the market ?

First of all, it is important to note that when talking about masks available on the market, we are talking about masks declared to comply with the NF EN 14683 standard or certified to the ISO 9001: 2015 quality standard. This is important because, more and more, voices are being raised to condemn or approve of homemade masks (cloth masks, paper masks, etc.). While it is true that they are better than nothing, we must also not hide the fact that we cannot say with certainty that they can filter, block the way to viruses and bacteria, both of which are very tiny organisms. living.

To avoid any problem, it is advisable to go to the pharmacy to buy your mask.
Generally, there are three models that are surgical masks, FFP2 masks and FFP3 masks.

Surgical masks, as the name suggests, are mostly used in the surgical environment. They are of two types. Type II masks sieve about 98% of viruses where type I surgical masks filter about 95%. Surgical masks have a very tight resistance capacity.

They are recommended for people carrying viruses or bacteria or for healthcare personnel in contact with said people.

As for the FFP2 and FFP3 masks, they are very popular and recommended respiratory masks because of the very high level of filtering they offer. In other words, they are very safe because beyond the viruses or bacteria they filter, they also sieve aerosols. Aerosols are very thin liquid particles which, for example, come out of the bubbles when we convert with a third person. They are reserved exclusively for health personnel. This is justified by the fact that they are in contact with people carrying viruses and therefore must be well protected.

Except that in certain specific circumstances, the use is permitted to any citizen. At first glance, one might think that the FFP2 and FFP3 masks are identical. It is nevertheless necessary to relativize since the FFP3 masks are more reinforced than the FFP2 masks.

All in all, before choosing a mask, you have to take into account the use you want to make of it, the needs you want to meet and also the quality of the person who wants to use it (health personnel or ordinary citizen).