Jan 19, 2022 17:00:00

After all, which mask should I buy in 'N95 / KN95 / KF94'?

Immediately after the pandemic of the new coronavirus occurred in 2020, there

was a time when the mask disappeared from the store due to buying up and it was difficult to obtain it, but at the time of writing the article, high quality masks such as N95 mask were available on Amazon.co. It came to be distributed to jp etc. With the availability of various masks, mask experts explain the new question, 'Which of the many standard masks, such as N95 and KN95, is the best?' I am.

How to shop for medical masks like N95s, KN95s and KF94s and how to spot fakes: Shots --Health News: NPR
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/01/15/1073273768/n95-mask-respirator-cdc

Time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators? Your questions answered
https://theconversation.com/time-to-upgrade-from-cloth-and-surgical-masks-to-respirators-your-questions-answered-174877

Masks of standards such as 'N95 / KN95 / KF94' are masks intended to capture virus particles with statically charged materials, and the numbers such as 95 and 94 are 95% of the fine particles in the air, respectively. It means that 94% can be filtered. However, the effect of the mask depends not only on the performance of the filter part of the mask, but also on the adhesion to the face.

Specifically, while the N95 mask is fixed to the head with a headband, the KN95 mask and KF94 mask are ear-hook type, so they are easy to put on and take off and breathe, but airtightness is reduced. Therefore, engineer Aaron Collins, who has conducted numerous verifications on the behavior of aerosols and the effects of masks, said, 'N95 masks are safer because they have a higher facial seal than KN95 masks and KF94 masks. As a result of this emphasis, ease of wearing may be sacrificed to some extent, especially when long-haired people have to tie and untie their hair each time they put on and take off a headband mask. There may be some, 'he said, pointing out that there is some trade-off between the effectiveness and convenience of masks.

The difference in mask standards is also the difference in certification bodies. The N95 is manufactured to standards certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and the KF94 is

manufactured to standards certified by the Korean Health Authority, the Food and Drug Administration, both of which perform well in testing, according to Collins. It is shown. On the other hand, KN95 made based on Chinese standards is not strictly regulated, so some KN95 masks are excellent and some KN95 masks do not meet the standards.

In addition to high-performance masks such as N95, cheaper and more available masks include surgical masks made of non-woven fabric and cloth masks. According to Professor Trisha Greenhal, a health scientist at Oxford University, surgical masks and cloth masks have lower adhesion than high-performance masks and are not recommended. In particular, cloth masks are not made according to specific standards, so their ability to filter particles is low.

In terms of such safety, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 'N95 and its compliance are the most protective options' in the new guidelines. 'If N95 masks are not available or available, Korean KF94 and Chinese KN95 are cheaper alternatives that offer better protection than surgical masks and cloth masks,' Greenhal and colleagues said. Above, 'I'm sure it's better to have nothing', and recommended using surgical masks and cloth masks only if you can't get a high-performance mask of any standard.