How to distinguish the quality of mask ?

Mask is an important line of defense against respiratory infectious diseases. It can reduce the risk of New Coronavirus infection. Masks can not only avoid droplets, droplet size and speed, but also prevent virus droplets from inhaling. Fake and shoddy masks, not only can not play its due protective role, but also may bring harm to the wearer's body. So, as our ordinary consumers, how can we distinguish the good from the bad and the true under limited conditions?

1、 Look at the package and logo
Protective masks can be roughly divided into civil protective masks, industrial protective masks and medical masks. Medical masks are divided into disposable medical masks, medical surgical masks and medical protective masks. It is suggested that the information on the outer package of protective masks is helpful to distinguish the authenticity of masks. Generally, the outer package information should include the manufacturer's name, address, executive standard, production date and validity period, operation instructions, etc.

2、 Take apart and cut to see the middle layer material

Most masks are mainly composed of three layers of non-woven fabrics, the inner and outer layers are mostly spunbonded non-woven fabrics, and the middle layer is melt blown non-woven fabrics or nanofiber composite materials with higher filtration function, which are the key central materials for masks to achieve isolation and protection function. Melt blown cloth is the heart of the mask, which is related to the filtering function of the whole mask. Due to the high price of meltblown cloth and the recent serious supply, some fake masks do not use meltblown cloth, which also lacks the primary protection function. It is advocated to judge whether there is meltblown cloth in the mask, and to use scissors to cut the mask open for disassembly to judge whether there is meltblown cloth. The structure of melt blown fabric is fine and dense, and the color is white; The structure of spunbonded fabric is relatively loose and transparent. The strength of meltblown cloth is very low, and it can be broken by hand; The spunbonded fabric has high strength and needs a lot of force to tear.

3、 See the light transmission function of mask
It is suggested that we can see the light transmission effect of the mask. Because the structure of meltblown cloth is fine and dense, qualified masks are almost opaque, while many fake masks without meltblown cloth have higher transmittance, so there will be obvious differences between qualified masks and fake masks under the same light source.
4、 Electrostatic adsorption
Qualified mask meltblown cloth will go through electret process. After electret, there are many charges on the surface of the fiber, which can block the fine particles by electrostatic adsorption effect, and can also use electrostatic adsorption of small paper scraps to verify whether the meltblown cloth is charged.
In the current context of epidemic prevention and control, it is very good for the public to have the protection awareness of going out and wearing masks. But don't you have to be "fully armed" when you step out of your house? In the open environment, especially in the relatively open and sparsely populated open environment like the park, we don't need to wear masks in principle, so we can breathe fresh air freely. But in places where there are relatively more people, especially in indoor places such as supermarkets and shops, even if there are fewer people, they should wear masks.
In addition, in a relatively private environment such as a private car, it is not necessary for a person to wear a mask when driving without carrying a suspected virus infected person. When it is necessary to wear masks in outdoor environment, it is generally advocated to wear disposable medical masks. In principle, people who have no close contact at home should not wear masks. Family members should wear masks when they have respiratory symptoms. It is generally advocated to wear disposable medical masks. In principle, the staff working in a single office environment can not wear masks. Other working environment or uncertain dangerous environment should wear masks, generally advocate wearing disposable medical masks. In other places, the public should wear masks when they are in a closed environment such as public transport and van elevator. It is generally advocated to wear disposable medical masks.