From: ct (tilley314@attbi.com)
Date: Sun Mar 30 2003 - 08:48:43 MST
At 08:43 AM 3/29/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>I don't know if drug stores sell surgical masks (does anyone know?)
>but I'd strongly urge Extropes to pin down a source for these
Most drug stores carry masks that are ineffective for your intended use.
Try instead a hardware store or home-repair type of store. Look in the
section that supplies PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) usually offered
for installers of drywall or insulation.
http://www.aosafety.com/protection.htm
The October 31, 2001 CDC Health Advisory recommends NIOSH approved N95 half
mask respirators as the lowest level of respiratory protection for
potential exposure to biological agents, such as Bacillus anthracis, in
situations in which agents are not known to be present. The N95 is a filter
class, with the letter N indicating durability of filter material and the
number 95 denoting the efficiency level. N filters do not work well when
oil could be present in the air. If oil is likely to be airborne, P type
filters are best. The efficiency level indicates what percentage of the
airborne particles the filter stops. So, 95 means that the filter stops 95%
of the incident particles. A 95% efficient filter allows 5 particles out of
every 100 particles (or spores in the case of Bacillus anthracis) through
to the wearer's breathing zone. A 100 type filter is really 99.97%
efficient, thereby letting 3 out of every 10,000 particles pass through the
filter.
http://www.aosafety.com/images/protection_01.jpg
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