Airgas offers a variety of disposable face masks for your respiratory protection, including N95, P95, and P100 styles and surgical masks for safer breathing. Find what you need here from leading manufacturers such as RADNOR, 3M, Moldex-Metric Inc., Medical masks and Honeywell. Disposable respirators and masks cover the mouth and nose to provide short-term, light-duty breathing protection. Respirators are NIOSH-rated to indicate the level of protection provided and are often worn in healthcare environments.
First, you should make sure your mask has more than one layer, or that it’s woven with tight material. To figure out how tightly woven your mask is, you can conduct a candle test, says Suzanne Pham, MD, the Medical Director of the COVID-19 response team at Weiss Memorial Hospital. While wearing your mask as you regularly would, hold a candle about a foot away from you and try to blow it out.
These are among the pricier masks on our list, but members of our team have used these and found them comfortable and sturdy. Unfortunately, the supply of many brands is constantly fluctuating, so you may need to check back regularly to see which are in stock. Many stores also have regional stock based on in-store supply, so be sure to check your local zip code at different sites where applicable. This new standard rates masks based on filtration and breathability, as well as an optional leakage ratio. The CDC has a list of masks here, and it tells which masks pass enough of these criteria to qualify for either of the Workplace Performance labels , but this is all based on data reported by suppliers and manufacturers.
Most publicly available respirators are disposable and should be discarded when they are dirty, damaged, or difficult to breathe through. Follow manufacturer’s instructions on how to wear, store, and clean or properly dispose of the mask. These should be worn according to the manufacturer’s instructions without modifications. Masks and respirators are effective at reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, when worn consistently and correctly.
Our materials are made by American employees in our facilities in Idaho and then the masks are manufactured right in the same building. We utilize the most advanced techniques, so we can provide the maximum number of reliable masks with minimal waste. Our earloops face mask are secured with more surface area than competitors to provide a strong and durable mask that will last through your daily activities. Face masks are essential for helping protect your lungs and airways in dusty, polluted or potentially infectious environments.
Thus, individuals and even organizations began to prepare masks from different types of materials that allow users to cover their mouth and nose. If you already have a large pack of disposable masks and find they just don’t fit right, you don’t have to toss ’em. These ear loop extenders, which help adjust the fit and relieve tension on the ears, can be particularly important for those of us who have to wear masks for hours upon hours each day. Other countries’ and regions’ standards include Europe’s FFP2, which is the counterpart to the N95 in the U.S., and KN95, the Chinese version. The FDA approved several KN95 models for temporary use by health care workers early in the pandemic but withdrew that emergency authorization in July 2021, when U.S.-made respirators were no longer in short supply. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance on masks was recently updated to say that N95 masks offer the “highest protection.” However, the agency still recommends that the best mask is one you’ll wear correctly and consistently.
If that’s not an issue for you, then the horizontal-fold pouch and bendable nosepiece should provide a solid seal on your face, while still costing less than a dollar per mask. Many of the distribution locations will be the places where you may have gotten your vaccine. You can check your local vaccine centers, community health centers, or any major pharmacy chain, to see if they have any in stock. Notably, surgical N95 masks will be held back for health care workers. Surgical-style masks (three-ply) are the next best thing you can wear.
Often sold in bulk packs of 25 and 50, they can be easily distributed to large groups of people. Another pack of multicolored KN95 masks, this set from Halidodo comes in a slightly different array of colors—most notably including an eye-catching orange mask—and is similarly affordable. Thanks to a White House initiative, around 400 million N95 masks are being distributed to pharmacies and community centers across the country.
The NIOSH recommends using these masks in a workplace environment but, crucially, does not recommend them as a replacement for N95 or other respirators. If you or someone you interact with regularly is a high-risk individual, or if you work in a medical setting, you should stick with N95s. If you can’t get your hands on the masks listed above, at least wear a cloth mask. They’re likely far less effective, depending on their material makeup. Were ending across the country, but Philadelphia just reinstated an indoor mask mandate as Covid-19 cases rise—yet another reminder that the pandemic is not over. It’s important to have a steady supply of good masks handy for whenever you’re entering public indoor spaces or spending time with people outside of your household.