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Medical face masks are also known as surgical masks or dental masks. Once upon a time, they were pieces of clothing tied over the face. Today, they are made of non-woven material such as polypropylene to filter the air and provide protection.

They are mostly used by health care personnel when treating individuals with respiratory diseases or during certain surgical procedures. There are different grades and styles of face masks depending on what you need the mask for. In this post, we will share information about how these masks are made. Learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_mask

What is a medical face mask used for?

These masks were initially designed to ensure that operating rooms are sterile. This is done by acting as a barrier covering the nose and mouth of the wearer. By so doing, the patient is protected from any respiratory discharge or body fluids from the wearer and vice versa.

Over the last few months, there has been a rise in the use of faces masks because of the new coronavirus. However, it is important to state that medical face masks were not designed to protect against the virus initially. The virus is smaller than the germs the masks were designed to protect us from. If you need a medical mask, click https://www.trendebut.com.

Categories of masks

Based on ASTM certification, we have four categories of face masks. They are split into categories based on the kind of protection they are designed to provide. We have described each category briefly below:

  1. Minimum protection– These masks do not offer so much protection to the wearer. They are not designed to shield the wearer from sprays, aerosols, or fluids. This is why they are only worn during short exams or procedures that don’t involve any of these compounds.
  2. Level 1– Face masks in this category are characterized by ear loops. They are designed to have a fluid resistance of about 80 mmHg. This is why they are prescribed as the standard for surgical and other procedural applications. They are also recommended for situations where there is no spray, aerosol, or fluid.
  3. Level 2– The face masks under this category have a fluid resistance of about 120 mmHg. This means that they can protect the wearer from moderate or light fluids, aerosols, and sprays.
  4. Level 3– These faces masks are designed for possible heavy exposures to any of the three compounds mentioned above. This is because they have up to 160 mmHg in fluid resistance.

At this point, we must state that surgical masks are completely different from respirators. Faces masks fit loosely over the face and act only as barriers. Respirators, on the other hand, filter the air to prevent inhalation of air particulates like bacteria and viruses.

Medical masks are also different from procedural masks. The latter is used to clean hospital environments, such as maternal and intensive care units. However, they have not been approved as protective equipment for aseptic environments (such as operating rooms).

How a medical face mask is made

Unlike when they were first invented, faces masks are designed using non-woven fabric. This kind of fabric is more efficient in bacterial filtration as well as air permeability. In addition to these qualities, the mask is not as slippery as woven fabric.


The fabric

The most common materials used in making face masks are polypropylene. It should be between 20 and 25 grams/square meter in density. Other materials used in making masks include polyester, polyethylene, polycarbonate, and polystyrene.

A spunbond process is used to manufacture the 20 gsm material and the process involves thrusting the melted plastic to a conveyor. The thrusting is usually done in a web so that the strands bond as cooling takes place.

A similar process known as the melt-blown technology is used to manufacture the 25 gsm material. In this process, the plastic is thrust through a die containing several hundred small nozzles. Hot air is passed over the plastic so that it is reduced to tiny fibers. The plastic cools and bonds on the conveyor resulting in fibers less than 1 micron in diameter.

The structure

Usually, medical face masks are made to have multiple layers. The non-woven fabric covers both sides while the middle layer is made of textiles. Non-woven face masks are cheaper to produce and are also cleaner. The latter property is because they are disposable and they come with between three to four layers. https://www.trendebut.com/100-pcs-disposable-face-masks-surgical-medical-mask-3-ply-breathable-and-comfortable-for-blocking-dust-air-pollution-protection

These masks come with a minimum of two filtration layers that can filter particles above a micron. It is important to note at this point that the capacity of a mask to filter is dependent on certain factors. These factors include:

  1. The fiber used in the manufacture.
  2. How the mask was manufactured.
  3. The structure of the web.
  4. The cross-sectional shape of the fiber.

Masks are usually manufactured on an assembly line. This involves several processes such as welding the layers ultrasonically, stamping nose strips on the masks, addition of ear loops, etc. The final stage before testing the masks is sterilization.

Certification tests for face masks

After production, the masks must be tested so that there is an assurance of their quality. Five tests are carried out before the masks are certified safe.

  1. Bacteria Filtration Efficiency (BFE). This test involves shooting the mask with an aerosol containing staphylococcus aureus. It is done at 28.3 liters/minute. This test helps to ascertain if the mask can catch the required percentage of bacteria.
  2. Particle Filtration Efficiency. This test requires the mask to be sprayed with an aerosol containing polystyrene microspheres. It is necessary to ensure the mask can filter the right particle sizes.
  3. Breathing resistance. The test involves shooting air at the mask before measuring the air pressure on the two sides. It helps to discover if the mask can maintain its shape while offering proper ventilation.
  4. Splash resistance. Simulated blood is splashed over the mask using forces that are similar to a human’s blood pressure. It is required to see if the liquid will not penetrate to contaminate the mask wearer.
  5. Flammability. This test checks to see how quickly it catches fire and the number of minutes it takes to be consumed.

Conclusion

In this post, we have shared pieces of information regarding how medical face masks are made. You have also seen the different categories of masks and the different confirmatory tests they pass through. Remember that it is important to stick to the regulations guiding the use of face masks to avoid contamination. (If you want to learn more, please visit https://www.trendebut.com .)

Trendebut
04-07
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