PETALING JAYA: In light of an increase in Covid-19 cases and hazy weather, consumers should go for the types of mask most suitable to them.
However, there is no “one size fits all” where the choice of mask is concerned, according to healthcare experts.
Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG) Kuala Lumpur-Selangor branch chairman Rachel Gan said the public need to understand that pollutants in the haze are fine particles that are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs and cause health problems.
“Not all masks are designed to filter haze pollutants.
“Haze typically contains a mixture of pollutants, including dust, smoke and particulate matters (PM2.5), which are particles that are less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (micron).
“PM2.5 is what we are most concerned about because of its size, which is small enough to be inhaled deeply and can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
“Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat or lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath,” she said.
From past experiences with haze, Gan said N95 respirators and masks with activated carbon filters are recommended for hazy weather.
The public, she added, can also check the mask’s particle filtration efficiency (PFE), which measures its ability to filter out particles of a certain size.
“Masks with a high PFE are generally more effective at filtering out particles, including the pollutants in the air such as those found in haze.”
To find out whether the surgical mask can filter fine particles, she advised consumers to read the information about its PFE, which is normally found on the packaging.
Gan noted that wearing a mask alone may not be enough to protect against the harmful effects of haze, and that people should limit their exposure to the polluted air by staying indoors with windows and doors closed and using air purifiers.
Public health medicine specialist Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar pointed out that surgical masks, including the three-ply ones, are not adequate to protect against haze particles or pollutants.
“A surgical mask is for protection against microbes and body fluid.
“N95 masks are better with at least 95% protection against particles between 0.1 and 0.3 microns. During the haze, it is better to use the N95 mask,” he said.
As for protection against pathogens and viruses, Dr Zainal Ariffin said the three-ply masks are good enough.
These include the widely available KF and KN-type masks in the market like KF94 and KN95.
The “KF” stands for “Korean filter” and the “94” represents a 94% filtration efficiency at keeping out particles.
On the other hand, the “KN95” is considered China’s equivalent to the N95 masks and able to filter out and capture 95% of particles in the air.
In September last year, the Health Ministry dropped mandatory indoor masking, except on public transport and at medical facilities.
However, there has been an increase in Covid-19 cases reported in recent months, coupled with hospital admissions and deaths.
