The weather is dry, and particulate matter in the air increases. Many people choose to wear masks when going out. However, how should consumers choose masks with various functions such as anti haze, anti dust, and anti bacterial? Recently, it was learned from relevant departments that starting from November 1st this year, China's first national standard for civilian protective masks, the "Technical Specification for Daily Protective Masks," has been officially implemented to address the issue of a wide range of types and uneven quality in the mask market. Consumers can purchase masks according to standards in the future.
In haze weather, many consumers prefer to use 3M masks with better protective performance. Photo by Liu Chenghe
The quality of "anti haze" masks varies from good to bad
The reporter searched on multiple e-commerce platforms and found that there are a wide variety of masks, including disposable non-woven fabric masks, gauze masks, and many anti haze masks with a nominal resistance to PM2.5. The reporter found that as long as the packaging is labeled with anti haze words, the price will be much higher than ordinary masks. In a best-selling online store, the reporter saw a disposable mask in a box of 50 pieces, priced at 8.8 yuan, with a unit price of only 0.18 yuan. The price for three sets of disposable dust and haze PM2.5 masks is 19.9 yuan, which is over 30 times the price of the former, reaching 6.6 yuan per set.
Masks labeled with different functions not only have significant price differences, but also differ in their main technical indicators. The reporter noticed that some of the masks sold online comply with the industrial mask standard of "Respiratory Protective Equipment Self suction Filter Anti Particle Respirator", some comply with the "Technical Requirements for Medical Protective Masks" and "Medical Surgical Masks" medical product standards, and some mask manufacturers comply with the production standards of European and American countries, and even some do not indicate the production standards used.
According to consumer responses, it can also be seen that for the dust and haze prevention and PM2.5 prevention effects of masks, most consumers can only judge based on their usage experience. The extent of the effect is not very clear to buyers.
The reporter learned that although many masks are labeled with "filtration efficiency" in a prominent position on the packaging, there have been media reports that relevant departments have tested masks that claim to have a "removal rate of over 90%", and the actual removal rate is only 30% to 40%. According to the Shanghai Quality Supervision Bureau's disclosure in March this year, 69 batches of samples from production enterprises, physical sales stores, and online stores in Shanghai were tested and found that the minimum filtration efficiency of 54 batches of masks was less than 90%, and 28 batches of masks contained the carcinogenic substance formaldehyde.
Special standards for civilian masks have been released
In haze weather, most consumers purchase masks in the hope of dust and haze prevention, in order to reduce the inhalation of PM2.5. However, the masks used by ordinary people in their daily lives are produced according to industrial or medical standards, which clearly do not meet their own needs. In addition, the confusion of mask market labeling and the lack of unified evaluation standards have created difficulties for consumers to choose.
In March last year, the Jiangsu Special Prevention Center, in collaboration with the China Textile Industry Association, organized a standard proposal discussion meeting, and subsequently participated in the establishment of China's first national standard for civil protective masks. On November 1st this year, China's first national standard for civilian protective masks, the Technical Specification for Daily Protective Masks, was officially implemented. This standard judges products from three aspects: safety, hygiene, and protection. At the same time, it has strict regulations on the packaging, labeling, and storage and transportation of masks, requiring the labeling to include content such as "product protection level" and "execution standard number".
It is understood that the new regulations also classify the protection level of masks into four levels from low to high based on different air quality: D level, C level, B level, and A level. For example, D-level masks are suitable for moderate to low air quality pollution, where the PM2.5 concentration is ≤ 150 micrograms per cubic meter; On the contrary, A-level masks are suitable for use when air pollution is extremely severe and PM2.5 concentration reaches 500 micrograms per cubic meter. At the same time, the protective effects of masks also vary, from level D to level A, the protective effects are not less than 65%, 75%, 85%, and 90%, respectively. According to the national standard requirements, consumers must choose a suitable protective mask to wear according to the standard, and the air quality index inhaled must reach good or above.
How to buy masks under the new national standard
Compared to the previous national standard for masks, the new standard is aimed at ordinary people, except for children and infants. So, with the regulations for daily protective masks, many people want to know how to choose masks specifically.
Is it always good to choose a higher-level mask? Zhao Jinyu, Senior Engineer of the Science and Technology Development Department of the China Industrial Textile Industry Association, pointed out that in terms of the characteristics of masks themselves, as the protective performance of the same brand of masks improves, the comfort will also decrease. "If there is too much respiratory resistance, it is not ruled out that chest tightness and dizziness may occur," she said, so it is also necessary to wear masks with corresponding protective effects according to the weather and personal situation, and take appropriate protective measures.
In addition to specialized anti haze masks, there are also cotton masks and disposable medical masks on the market. Experts say that simple cotton and gauze masks have little filtering effect on PM2.5. What can truly exert the filtering effect is the filter layer formed by the non-woven fabric or other corresponding filtering materials in the mask.
When it comes to the breathing valves installed on some masks, experts say that breathing valves have a certain effect on relieving respiratory resistance. Of course, whether or not there is a breathing valve on the mask, as long as it meets the specifications, it is acceptable.
In addition, when consumers choose masks, it is best to try them on and try to choose masks that are suitable for their face shape. If they do not fit or experience chest tightness, breathing difficulties, dizziness, etc. after wearing them, they should not purchase them. When wearing, the mask should be tightly attached to the face, so that external air will not leak in, but it should not be too tight. It is necessary to ensure that the person wearing the mask can breathe normally.