Mask Decisions will be Shaped by in a Multi-Step Process

Mask Use to Continue After the Pandemic

Expanding the Amount of Filter Area with  Origami Designs

ICS will have an ASTM F3502 / Seal Mark

Premium PPE Makes 30 Million Masks per Month

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Mask Decisions will be Shaped by in a Multi-Step Process

The new ASTM standards in the U.S. and public mask standards in Europe are a great first step for mask selection but need to be incorporated into a  multi-step process. The ultimate decisions by purchasers are likely to be made by ratings from magazines such as Consumer Reports.

The magazine rates sun tan lotions not just on the protection factor appearing on the bottle but with a combination of factors which are more reflective of the protection.

Will a mass publication such as Consumer Reports be able to rate masks with similar insight?   Earlier this month Consumers Reports was anticipating the ASTM standards and raising the mask leakage as a major concern. The takeaway is that if mass media are presented with the best insights their advice to readers will be reflective.

There are minimum safety standards for cars. However, safety ratings provided by the media and experts make safety a major purchasing factor even though all cars meet the minimums. Masks like cars affect health and life. So most people will be swayed by reliable mask safety ratings.  The challenge for the mask industry is to create a dependable mask selection process and then make sure it is made available.

There are a number of steps in the process.

Multi-Step Mask Selection Process

Test Methods

ASTM and EU Public Mask Standards are based on tests which have widespread acceptance. ASTM has made a great contribution by stipulating tried and true test methods. The ASTM standards are based primarily on particulate efficiency and resistance. These tests alone will go a long way toward eliminating masks which are ineffective. However, there is still much to be done on test methods. 

1.      Particulate Efficiency: Coronavirus is a 0.1 micron particle generally transmitted in a droplet. That droplet captured on the interior of a mask will evaporate or split. So the initial capture is only part of the story.

2.      Resistance: The resistance increases by the square of the air velocity. Two variables needing consideration are the amount of mask filter area and the breath volume of the wearer. The concern about a 5 mm H20 limit on resistance is addressed just by adding a little more filter area.

3.      Fit: Air leakage can exceed 50% in actual conditions of wear. On the other hand custom fitted N95 masks have almost no leakage when tested initially but there is no assurance that an individual will wear it properly.

Surgical masks have large amounts of leakage but with an external brace may reduce leakage to less than 10%. Virus inhalation = particulate inefficiency plus leakage. There is a concern about a particulate efficiency reduction of a few %. That same percent of leakage is just as important.

Fit tests for the public can include use of mobile phone apps which analyze pictures.  They can use other remote camera inspections by experts. Novel qualitative tests with perfume, lights, pressure etc. all need to be investigated.

4.       Quality Control: Eurofins, SGS, Bureau Veritas, UL, and others are active worldwide and can provide quality control seals based on the ability to inspect manufacturing  operations around the globe.    

Standards

The ASTM standards are a big step forward but as new test methods are developed the standards will need to be changed. Also there is a need for international uniformity in standards. The use of the standards by government organizations such as OSHA is critical.

Knowledge Creation

There is a great deal of information about masks being generated in research papers, magazines, supplier news releases etc. The challenge is to turn information into knowledge. Associations, conference organizers, and publishers can all play a role. INDA is an association which holds relevant conferences and publishes two magazines which contribute to creating knowledge on the subject.

Coronavirus Mask Decisions includes the daily information with some conversion to knowledge.   Several search engines provide an information gathering function. Webinars further provide the knowledge conversion. An intelligence system provides an organized approach to knowledge creation.

Suppliers of masks, media, components, and services should bear the main responsibility for knowledge conversion. White papers are needed. But the willingness to debate is also important.

Expert Determinations

Once information has been converted to knowledge experts can draw meaningful conclusions. For example in the CMD intelligence system there are extensive analyses and reports commissioned by Vogmask who has five mask sizes and is continuing to improve mask fit. This knowledge can be the basis of a conclusion about the effectiveness of Vogmask versus a mask with fewer sizes, less performance testing, and quality control.

Those organizations involved with quality control seals can expand their role. Alternatively consulting organizations can provide high level comparisons. They also have the opportunity to make these determinations for a complete safe bubble for which the mask is only one component.

Dissemination of Conclusions

The suppliers, associations, and industry media need to make sure that the appropriate conclusions are provided to the main stream media and to user groups. It is also necessary that the appropriate conclusions be conveyed to governmental organizations. Consider the power of a conclusion presented to a city that the mask efficiency and restaurant occupancy rate together provide a risk factor. So 25% occupancy with the typical 25% effective cloth mask provides the same risk as a 90% effective mask and 90% occupancy.

The ASTM standards are a good start toward a multi-step mask selection process which will save countless lives while creating a huge industry.

 

Mask Use to Continue After the Pandemic

Masks may become a mainstay after the pandemic to help keep both viruses and pollution at bay. While masking is already part of daily life in other countries, that hadn’t been the case for the United States. But a recent National Geographic and Morning Consult poll signaled a shifting attitude in the U.S. toward masking up. Some 63 percent of 2,200 American adults said they would continue to always or sometimes wear a mask while running errands post-pandemic. A similar number, around 64 percent, said they would turn to masks to fend off air pollution. And 67 percent said they would mask up during flu season.

 

Expanding the Amount of Filter Area with  Origami Designs

The new ASTM standards specify the display of the resistance of the mask material. But this is based on a specified velocity through the material. The more relevant velocity is based on the amount breathed by an individual and the amount of filterable material. If the individual has lower breath volume or if the amount of material is greater then the resistance will be lower.

Richard Gordon, the founder and CEO of Air99 LLC. is one of a growing number of mask designers who see the promise of better fit, function, and even fashion in the ancient art of origami.

The folds of the Airgami mask make it easier to breathe by dramatically increasing the amount of surface area for air to pass through. Unfolded, the filter is two to three times as large as common N95s.

Finding the right material is just the first step of crafting an effective mask. “It doesn’t matter how good the filter is if you don’t have a good fit,” says John Volckens of Colorado State University, who led an intensive testing effort to document the filtration efficiencies for an array of materials.

When improperly designed or worn, masks can have gaps around the nose or cheeks, allowing entry and exit points for potentially virus-laden particles to flow—and closing these gaps is where origami truly shines.

Origami techniques are already central to many masks on the market today, Volckens notes. 3M’s VFlex, for example, combines folding with heat welding to hold the material together, creating a more comfortable version of an N95. 

Another solution for holding a crease is creating an outer skeleton of stiff material. Air99's Airgami mask, for example, is made of a flexible N95-grade filter fused with a more rigid and foldable layer. Since the outer structure doesn't allow air to pass through, it's punched with holes so air can reach the filter layer. 

We need better face masks—and origami might help (nationalgeographic.com)

 

ICS will have an ASTM F3502 / Seal Mark

Mr. Dale  Pfriem, CEO of  ICS advised us yesterday that his company will be initiating its Seal Mark program (traditionally used for sports eyewear products, etc. as respiratory devices must be either CE or NIOSH certified) to the new ASTM F3502 standard. “We’ve been testing respiratory protective devices for over 25 years so we trust our mark will go to support the new standards mission to convey confidence to the market”.

ICS Laboratories is a leading source for accredited third-party conformity assessment of respiratory protective equipment. ICS tests respirators, filters, cartridges and their many associated devices and accessories to a wide range of US (NIOSH), European (EN) and Australian (AS/NZS) standards. Their capabilities are extensive and range from disposable half-mask filtering face piece respirators to specialized equipment designed to protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear respiratory hazards (CBRN).

ICS Laboratories’ scope of accreditation offers the most extensive coverage of respirator test protocols published by the CDC of any independent conformity assessment body. ICS is accredited to perform over 75 NIOSH standard test procedures, spanning the complete range of respiratory protective devices (FFP/N95, APR, PAPR, SAR, SCBA and SCSR).  Their test reports are accepted by NIOSH as pre-submittal performance data. Pre-submittal test results are required by NIOSH as part of their approval process for respiratory PPE intended to be marketed, sold, or distributed in the US for occupational use.

ICS Labs’ expertise in this area offers its clients endorsed test reports containing reliable data and results for globally relevant standard test method and performance requirements for respiratory protection.

 

Premium PPE Makes 30 Million Masks per Month

Premium-PPE in Virginia Beach has invested  $5.3 million to expand and meet increased demand. That also means new jobs in the resort city. Brent Dille is commercial director and has years of expertise in the filtration industry. We talked to him today and learned that he is moving forward to create the American Mask Manufacturers Association . He promised to provide the details when the organization launches its website.  Premium PPE has become a significant mask supplier.

 

The CEO of Premium-PPE, a manufacturer of AmeriShield branded masks, Vitali Servutas says like many, they were caught off guard with COVID-19.

He says when they tried to order masks, they had a hard time getting them.

“We couldn’t buy anything in the United States. We have contacts overseas in China and we started importing them and it was very difficult,” said Servutas. That’s when one of his partners suggested they make their own in Virginia Beach. They were able to find a machine and, with their engineering background, got to work. He says the operation started in a small room. Now there’s an entire warehouse full of machines.

“We were seven employees in the early days and now we’re over 250. So we’re adding more and more people every week we’re running three shifts as well,” Servutas explained. Now, they make 1.2 million masks per day up from 750,000 masks a day prior to the expansion.

More details on their operation can be obtained from Brent Dille at 412- 401-2134. His email is brent@premium-ppe.com