Medical protective masks for small products and big safety

Smog is no longer a "patent" in Hebei and Beijing and Tianjin. Since the beginning of the winter in 2013, continuous haze has appeared in Jiangsu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong. The haze has brought about an adverse impact on people's lives, but it has made the mask market fire. In this regard, food and drug regulators suggest that although the mask is a small product, but it is directly related to people's lives, health, and their safety is not considered. Recently, food and drug regulatory authorities in Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces and other places have found that the problem of substandard products has been prominent after random inspections of medical mask products. Some enterprises have problems such as cutting corners, cutting materials, and labeling confusion.

Daily protection attracts much attention

It is well known that the prevalence of SARS, H1N1 influenza virus, and H7N9 influenza virus has led to increased awareness of the use of masks to prevent disease. For persistent haze in many areas, medical experts recommend that people use masks to prevent inhalation of harmful solid particles.

The director of the People's Liberation Army 309 Hospital and the army's tuberculosis research institute Lin Minggui told reporters that haze is a collective name for "fog" and "sputum." Respirable solid particles (霾10) with a diameter of ≥10 μm in the middle of the cockroach can be discharged through the respiratory tract by cough reflex. Inhalable solid particles (PM2.5) with a diameter of 2.52.5 μm, if inhaled over a long period of time, will be deposited. In the lungs, even adhering to the surface of the alveoli, severe cough reflexes, drugs, and foods can not "catch" it. What's more serious is that prolonged inhalation of PM2.5 results in decreased alveolar elasticity, reduced function, and even pulmonary fibrosis, which affects respiratory function and is almost impossible to reverse. Therefore, in the event of haze, people should try to reduce going out. It is best to wear a medical mask with effective protection when going out.

A wide variety of masks

The reporter recently visited several pharmacies, large supermarkets, and convenience stores in Beijing and discovered that there are a wide variety of masks on the market, such as fashion and masks, traditional non-abrasive gauze masks, common medical masks, and medical protective masks. PM2.5" masks, the unit price in a few dollars to tens of dollars.

“In the eyes of the public, a mask is a small product, because it has neither advanced technology nor medical equipment that is life-saving. The price is relatively cheap. However, this small product has been issued by the State Food and Drug Administration for many times. Registration and supervision made clear regulations, and the mask management category was changed from the first category to the second category. This situation is rare in all medical device products.” Supervisor of Jiangxi Provincial Bureau said.

According to the supervisors, masks can be roughly divided into two categories based on different functions: one is general masks that are used as general merchandise management, such as regular degreased gauze masks and ordinary dust masks; the other is medical masks that are managed as medical devices. Consumers need to pay attention to the fact that ordinary dust masks are only daily products, and there are no uniform requirements in terms of materials and specifications. They are mainly used for protection against cold and dust, and are not suitable for disease prevention. Ordinary absorbent gauze masks are protective Health supplies, which have certain filtering effects on microorganisms, droplets and dust in the air, are only suitable for general health protection; medical masks managed as the second type of medical device are divided into medical protective masks, medical surgical masks and ordinary medical masks. There are obvious differences in their protective effects among the three types. There are clear regulations on their use. Consumers need to choose according to their needs.

Worrying about the quality of production

China is the world's largest producer and exporter of masks, and it is also a major producer and exporter of non-woven materials for masks. It is understood that some domestic mask manufacturers have mastered the production technology of N95 or equivalent masks. Some domestic masks have become brand-name products, and the mask industry has become a local pillar industry in Hubei Xiantao and other regions.

However, the supervisory staff of the Anhui Provincial Bureau told the reporter that at present, the high-tech and high value-added masks market is still dominated by foreign brands. The characteristics of most domestic mask manufacturers are scattered, small and miscellaneous, with low production technology and added value. Low-grade protective masks are mainly used, and some companies have poor production conditions and poor quality awareness. Now the profit of a low port cover can only be calculated in "minutes". Under the pressure of product homogeneity and vicious price competition, some manufacturing companies have the concept of only seeking quantity and not seeking quality, resulting in worrying quality of masks. In addition, there is no need to regulate the mask standards, classification, registration management, etc. in China.

Copyright Statement: This article is reproduced from online media and represents only the author's opinion. It has nothing to do with this site. If news articles and comments infringe your legal rights, please call us and we will handle it in a timely manner.