
3M Tech Bulletin – Respirators and Surgical Masks: A Comparison [pdf] - Terretta
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/957730O/respirators-and-surgical-masks-contrast-technical-bulletin.pdf
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imglorp
In case someone's planning on hitting the home store for something like a P100
you might find there, here's a little decoder.

> Modern filter media uses a built-in static charge to attract and retain
> particles as they are pulled through. Some grades of filter can have this
> static charge ruined when in contact with oil mist. The letter in a mask’s
> name tells you whether or not the mask can resist oil: N masks are not oil
> resistant, P masks are oil proof, and R masks are oil resistant.

> The number in a rating tells you the minimum amount of airborne challenge
> particles the mask protects against: an N95 mask keeps out at least 95% of
> particles but isn’t oil resistant, and a P100 mask is oil proof while
> protecting the wearer from at least 99.8% of particles.

[https://pksafety.com/blog/respiratory-
basics-n95-vs-p100/](https://pksafety.com/blog/respiratory-
basics-n95-vs-p100/)

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Terretta
In light of Surgeon General tweet [1] demanding Americans stop buying masks
because they’re not effective, to save them for healthcare workers who need
them, here is some info from the manufacturer:

> _In conclusion, surgical /procedure masks are intended to help put a barrier
> between the wearer and the work environment or sterile field. They may help
> keep spit and mucous generated by the wearer from reaching a patient or
> medical equipment. They can also be used as a fluid barrier to help keep
> blood splatter from reaching the wearer’s mouth and nose._

> _However, surgical /procedure masks cannot provide certified respiratory
> protection unless they are also designed, tested, and government-certified
> as a respirator. If a wearer wants to reduce inhalation of smaller,
> inhalable particles (those smaller than 100 microns), they need to obtain
> and properly use a government-certified respirator, such as a NIOSH-
> certified N95 filtering facepiece particulate respirator. If the wearer
> needs a combination surgical/procedure mask and a particulate respirator,
> they should use a product that is both cleared by FDA as a
> surgical/procedure mask and tested and certified by NIOSH as a particulate
> respirator. Such products are sometimes called a "medical respirator,"
> "health care respirator," or "surgical N95."_

Includes decision tree highlighting potential considerations for the selection
of respirators verses surgical/procedure masks.

1\. Tweet text:

    
    
        Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!
    
        They are NOT effective in preventing 
        general public from catching #Coronavirus, 
        but if healthcare providers can’t get 
        them to care for sick patients, it 
        puts them and our communities at risk!
    

[https://twitter.com/surgeon_general/status/12337257852839321...](https://twitter.com/surgeon_general/status/1233725785283932160)

