Mallcom Highlights FFP2 Vs N95 Vs Cloth Mask

As the World braces for another rapidly advancing mutating version of COVID-19, face masks are being used to reduce the chance of spreading or capturing COVID-19 once again. 

To limit the spread of the virus as much as possible, countries across the world are advising their citizens to consider making mask use mandatory both outdoors and indoors. As the world starts enforcing limited lockdowns it's important to understand the differences between various types of face masks.

Three types of Face masks 

Broadly speaking, there are three types of face masks - (1) Cloth Masks, (2) Medical & Surgical Masks, and (3) Industrial masks or filtering Respirators.

• Cloth Masks are the most common out of all three which provide a fair amount of protection, and they are washable however on the flip side, they are not standardized, have a wide variation in terms of use, and most importantly, they do not provide any certification.
• Medical Masks often known as surgical masks are commonly used for general purposes and offer a fair amount of protection. They are also standardized and certified. However, they are good for avoiding infecting others but less effective for protecting themselves.
• Industrial Masks/Filtering Respirators/FFP: They are the most potent face masks that are certified, standardized, available for single use, and offer the highest levels of protection they can ever get. 

The initials FFP in the name FFP2 stand for ‘Filtering Face Piece,’ and these masks filter out harmful microparticles very effectively, which is why they are used in conditions where there is a high risk of infection.

The three types of filtering face masks are:

• European-certified face masks
• American-certified face masks
• Indian-certified face masks 

European – EN 149: 2001 + A1: 2009 

FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3 masks are governed by a piece of European legislation, the famous EN 149:2001

FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3 masks are governed by a piece of European legislation, the famous EN 149:2001, updated in 2009. 

This law defines the standards used to certify the effectiveness of ‘respiratory protective devices’ and clearly establishes the requirements, tests, and branding for the masks. 

American – NIOSH – 42CFR84 

N95 Masks are covered by American standard NIOSH – 42CFR84, which is drawn up by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), the American body responsible for certifying the actual effectiveness of filtering facial devices. 

Indian – IS 9473:2002 

BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) is the apex certification body in India under which standard IS 9473:2002 is used for classifying masks as FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3.

BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) is the only body out of the three  that mandates  an in-house dedicated laboratory for certification. 

How long does an FFP2 mask last?

FFP2 masks can be marked with the letter (R) for ‘reusable’ or (NR) for ‘non-reusable’

FFP2 masks can be marked with the letter (R) for ‘reusable’ or (NR) for ‘non-reusable’. Most FFP2 masks fall into the latter category – they are protective devices that progressively become less effective with the passing of time. For this reason, an FFP2 mask typically lasts around eight hours in at-risk environments or a single work shift.

Even if it is worn while keeping a safe distance in low-risk areas, the mask should nevertheless be thrown away after eight hours, since breathing and exposure to moisture gradually affect its filtration capacity and physical integrity. Once they become significantly damp, FFP2 masks should be discarded.

• Cloth masks vs surgical masks vs FFP2 masks compared: Which is the best?

So what makes these respiratory masks so good at filtration compared to surgical or cloth masks?

FFP2 masks are defined as being composed of three layers of synthetic non-woven materials, available in different thicknesses, with the inclusion of filtration layers between. It’s this combination of factors that leads to those strong results.

N95 and FFP2 are similar kinds of respiratory masks. These masks supposedly protect both the wearer and the people around them. The World Health Organization cites studies that show the filtration systems of FFP2 and N95 masks are 94 and 95 percent effective respectively.

• But 94 to 95 percent of what?

This figure is achieved by testing masks using NaCl (sodium chloride) particles and paraffin oil–this is only for FFP2 testing, with the N95 certification process only testing using NaCl.

While standard medical masks only filter three-micrometer droplets, FFP2 respirator masks filter down to 0.075 micrometer solid particles. The masks are then tested by seeing what percentage of these small particles make it through and, in the case of getting FFP2 certification, only six percent or less.