ALLERGY/FACE MASKS: DUST MASKS

Filed under Allergies by admin

Face masks come in three basic kinds:

• dust masks

• activated carbon masks

• respirators

which give varying degrees of protection against inhaled particles and chemical fumes.

You can use face masks to protect you in situations where you are unavoidably exposed to things which upset you – doing dusty tasks, vacuuming or household cleaning, doing DIY or car maintenance, at work, riding a bike, or even when driving a car.

Dust Masks

Dust masks are the simplest of all masks. They do not protect against chemical vapours, but will protect to some extent against irritant dusts and particles. The most common type, found in DIY shops, has a pure cotton gauze filter pad held in place across the nose by a light aluminium face-piece. Another type, also found in DIY shops, made of a cotton/synthetic blend, is a moulded white mask.

No guarantee is given of the size or type of particle which these masks keep out. Dust masks are not helpful in protecting against most chemical vapours, but they do offer some (but not total) protection against dusts, and against allergens such as house dust mites, moulds and animal allergens.

They are cheaper than other masks (£1-2 at 1992 prices) and unless you are very highly sensitive to inhalant allergens, such as house dust mites, they will offer you sufficient protection to allow you to do most tasks.

These masks are widely available at DIY stores or by post from Safety Equipment Centre. Safety Equipment Centre has a small-order charge for orders less than £25.

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