N95 Masks Vs. Surgical Masks: Which Is Better at Preventing the Coronavirus

Since the beginning of the Pandemic, even the developed countries lacked enough PPE kits, PP Body Coverall, to Face Masks, such as - Surgical masks and N95 Masks, even to provide to protect healthcare providers from exposure to COVID 19 coronavirus. In the month of February 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the U.S published the data of having only 42 million of the total estimated requirements of 3.5 billion masks through the course of a pandemic. Out of which only 12 million face masks were N95 face mask, typical respirators used by medical/ healthcare professionals – face mask for COVID-19 protection and prevention. And these were distributed by mid-April.

Due to international shortages of PPE, WHO recommended that healthcare workers must use medical masks while interacting with COVID 19 patients to conserve N95 face masks for aerosol generating procedures.

While the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] continues to recommend N95 masks for providers who are involved in the treatment of unmask COVID 19 patients or suspected COVID19 patients. However, due to this scare resources, they are permitting the use of fluid-resistant simple face masks (medical/ surgical Masks) instead of N95 face mask for COVID 19 protection for non-aerosol generating procedures.

Face Mask for COVID 19 protection – Which is safer?

Let us begin by understanding the basics of both Surgical Face Masks and N95 Face Masks. Primarily, both kinds of masks involve meltblown fabric. So, the Meltblown face mask filter media is the most popular filter media for best quality face masks. The difference in them lies in their build structure, seal, fluid resistance and regulatory agencies.

For all these fluid resistance surgical masks and N95 face masks, require FDA approval in the US. FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization in the month of April, which allowed the production of medical facemasks without fluid resistance to be used as source control. These are supposed to be manufactured from material other than meltblown fabric. Later, the CDC recommended using medical/ surgical facemasks instead of cloth mask because they provide the wearer protection in addition to acting as source control.

Face Mask for COVID 19 protection: Specifications

• As per FDA’s Approval in the US, simple masks are produced as per ASTM standards and are rated on Five metrics.
• An ASTM Level 1 face mask can filter out 95% of bacteria and 95% of 0.1 µm particles as well as provide fluid resistance to simulated blood at 80 mmHg.
• There are other Approval and Certification bodies such as DRDO, SITRA, OFB and more.
• Puraheal’s Face Mask for COVID19 protection is approved from all the mentioned Certification bodies.
• These masks are approved on many factors such as breathability, flame resistance requirements, protection at multi-levels and many others.

N95 vs Surgical Face Mask: Build and Fitting

• These face masks for COVID 19 protection are often made-up of multiple filter layers such as meltblown, Spunbond etc, it also consists of nose clip for better hold and seal to the face.
• This seal is not airtight, which can result in airborne particles leaking around the mask as the wearer inhales.
• Surgical masks are poorly fitted and only restricts droplets and cannot protect from airborne particles leaking from around.
• Hence, when considering the fit, N95 face masks are way more effective in aerosol protection rather than a surgical mask.

N95 Face Mask vs Surgical Face Mask: Filtration Efficiency

• N95 Face Masks are designed and approved to provide 95% filtration efficiency of 0.3 µm non-oily particles if not more. Healthcare workers also use the subset of N95 face masks, which is also approved by bodies to provide fluid resistance.
• • Filters not only works like nets instead use various other methods to capture different particle sizes.
• • Fine particles are captured by diffusion, which means airflow and their random the motion eventually causes them to become trapped by a mask fiber while larger particles are predominantly restricted by interception and impaction with filter fibers.
• Industrial N95 comes with an exhalation valve making it comfortable for the wearer. However, when the user exhales, their unfiltered breath can contaminate their patients, hence it is not that recommended for source control and prohibited during sterile procedures.

TO SUM IT ALL UP

So, for healthcare workers and for general use,N95 face masks are the best and most effective. However, in case of short supply of N95 one may always choose surgical masks as the filter media used in both the cases is Meltblown and Spunbond. The overall fitting and shape and size make the efficiency of N95 most effective.

Check out our range of approved and certified Masks at http://bit.ly/purahealmask