In yesterday's post we mentioned how Coronavirus has prompted some factories working for the fashion industry in Italy (mainly manufacturing clothes and textiles) to reconvert their production and start making face masks.
Most surgical masks come from China usually, so in Italy even factories producing medical appliances and devices do not make surgical masks anymore. Yet, the current need for this small yet vitally important accessory for some categories of people working in the front-lines like medical staff, has prompted many to start producing them.
Most textiles or clothes companies producing face masks at the moment are making basic ones with non-woven (TNT) fabric. These masks can still help protecting ordinary people, but they are not suitable for medical staff (masks for the latter must be produced and packaged in a sterile environment). But there is also another purpose behind the production of such masks: in this way ordinary people (and celebrities alike...) will stop buying proper surgical masks and N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs).
Health organisations warned indeed that the most important thing against Coronavirus is washing your hands frequently, even though a mask can help those ones who may have symptoms from contaminating others. But the problem is that a lot of people have been buying masks and in particular respirators (a trend supported by Naomi Campbell, spotted a few days ago wearing a hazmat suit and protective gloves, glasses and N95 respirator while boarding a plane) and this is causing a shortage of masks all over the world.
On their site, 3M™ explain the difference between a surgical mask and their N95 respirator masks: the former is designed to protect the patient from the exhaled microorganisms from healthcare providers; the latter has a seal that helps reduce the wearer's exposure to airborne particles.
So, what can you do in this emergency, if you still want to wear a mask or you have a cold or a cough and want to protect others surrounding you when you go out buying groceries?
Well, make your own: despite 3D printed masks sound like a great idea, they should be avoided as PLA (the main material used for 3D printing) is not food safe. In February Dr Chen Xiaoting, a Taiwanese anaesthesiologist, shared instructions on creating a cloth face mask on his Facebook account: you can basically do a fabric mask with a pocket inside in which you should insert non-woven fabric that will act as a filter.
This is an environmentally friendly mask as it can be washed while the non-woven fabric inside it must be replaced (surgical masks are disposable and must be thrown out after each patient encounter - unlikely at the moment as doctors and nurses who may not have enough masks).
Some fashion designers, such as the Coperni duo, are offering their interpetations of the mask on Instagram, but, beware, as most of them are opting for a mask in plain fabric that can be washed at 30°C (should instead be washed at least at 60°C). This is just a symbolical trendy face mask that doesn't really protect from anything as the structure of the fabric lets particle pass. The most sensible suggestion when it comes to DIY masks remains therefore the mask with the non-woven fabric filter inside, as advised by Dr Chen Xiaoting. But, remember, the best protection from Coronavirus remains washing your hands thoroughly rather than playing at being a surgeon in a designer mask.
Comments