Anti-Pollution Mask: Is It Really Necessary for City Living?

The pollution rate in cities has increased recently; hence wearing respirators is one of the most important precautions you need to protect yourself against respiratory health problems.

Anti-pollution mask: is it really necessary for city living?

In most cities, air quality has been declared poor due to pollution. The health of livings things in those cities is at risk. Because of that reason, most people have opted to use anti pollution mask to prevent the risks of being among the affected. Having anti pollution mask helps individuals to breathe cleaner and fresh air. Using such masks is the most significant and simple measure to ensure that you are protected from air pollution around cities. Due to pollution in various cities, there are many questions that you need to ask yourself before you have an investment in such kinds of masks. Below in this article, we will help you answer some of those questions.

What are the different types of respirators?

Respirators are also known as anti pollution masks. The device protects individuals from inhaling infectious particles, chemicals, and particulate matter when breathing. Due to the filtration done by these respirators, the air you breathe is clean and free from pollution. Respirators come in different comfort levels, occupations, and filtration purposes.

Different respirators are used for various purposes, such as gas mask respirators, escape respirators, and air-purifying respirators. Air-purifying respirators are also known as particulate respirators, used to prevent and fight infectious materials caused by pollution. The escape respirators are used during emergencies while the gas mask respirators filter chemical gases.

Is it necessary to wear respirators for city living?

Yes, most cities are polluted due to congestion and excretion of different particulate matters in the air. Because of that reason, air pollution has become a silent killer; hence wearing respirators in cities is essential to avoid the risk of being affected. Respirators filter out such particulate matter during the breathing process; hence you are safe.

How do respirators work?

The air is polluted when different harmful particles and gases combine. The type of pollutant will determine the effective working of various respirators. A five percentage protections factor is given to the respirator depending on the fitting and wearing of the mask. For the respirator to work correctly, you need to find the mask that fits and is worn as advised to ensure that inhaled air passes the mask.

What are N95 masks used for?

The N95 mask is a particulate respirator used to filter particulate matter. The N95 mask filters ninety-five percent of the particulate matter which varies in different sizes, as its name indicates. Oil and oils pollutant are not filtered by the N95 respirator due to the long time taken by such pollutants in the air. The chance of inhaling oil and oil pollutants is high. The N95 masks are the best compared to other regular masks because they can protect you against the flu virus. They protect against bacteria and flu because they filter the smallest particle in the air.

Can surgical masks protect against pollution?

Air pollutants and particulate matter are not filtered by surgical masks because they act as barriers. The particulate matter between 10 and 2.5 is not filtered, although large respiratory particles are filtered out. Because of that reason, they are not reliable when being used to protect against polluted cities.

Which masks are the best respirators?

When selecting the best respirators, you need to choose one that can filter out particulate matter to ensure that the air you breathe is clean. The most approved respirators that filter out micron particulate matters are; N99, N95, R95, and P95. A doctor’s advice and prescription are needed if you suffer from respiratory problems. Another precaution you need to check is properly wearing it to ensure that you are adequately protected.

How effective are respirators?

Respirators are effective because they are recommended by most health bodies to protect against air pollution. When you wear such respirators, you are assured of effective prevention of respiratory health problems. Although respirators are effective and preventive against air pollution, not everyone is comfortable wearing them.