Medical professionals across the US and world are running low on medical supplies, especially the N95 respirators and surgical masks worn by doctors, nurses, and patients. Without this critical PPE, the vital healthcare workers are at high risk of contracting this deadly virus and possibly passing it along to others. Medical professionals, staff members, and many others around the community have been forced to reuse these "single-use" masks, make their own from common fabric, or may not have the access to anything at all.
Our mask alternative has been designed to quickly be assembled and provided to the local hospitals and community members in need. The design mimics the research and development efforts implemented by the University of Florida's College of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology - see link below. They have developed two prototypes for alternative masks that can be produced in small or large quantities using materials already found in hospitals and medical facilities.
The sewn masks are intended only to be extra supply to a healthcare facility's PPE supply, with some increased protection over a standard surgical mask. "The makeshift mask uses H600 two-ply spun polypropylene that cannot be penetrated by water, bacteria, or particles. It blocks 99.9% of particulates, making the masks about 4% more effective at blocking particulate material than the N95 masks, according to Bruce Spiess, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology in the UF College of Medicine, who made that calculation based on the manufacturer's specifications."