KNOW THE MEANING OF "N95" IN N95 MASKS !!

During the coronavirus pandemic, masks have become a common part of our life. Out of various types of masks N95 masks have become quite famous and are in demand nowadays. But have you ever thought what does "N95" in this mask mean? Let us find out the answer in this article.

N95 respirators and surgical masks (face masks) are examples of personal protective equipment that are used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face. These are also known as ‘air-purifying respirators’ because they protect by filtering particles out of the air as you breathe. These respirators protect only against particles—not gases or vapors. Since airborne biological agents such as bacteria or viruses are particles, they can be filtered by particulate respirators.”

WHAT DOES "N95" RATING MEAN:

The different ratings in place for respirators indicate how well the mask would protect against oils and are rated as N, R, or P.

N - Not oil resistant
R - Resistant to oil
P - Oil Proof
So, here N means the mask is not oil resistant.

95: Masks ending with 95 have a 95 percent efficiency (Removes 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter). Masks ending in a 99 have a 99(Removes 99% of particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter) percent efficiency. Masks ending in 100 are 99.97 percent efficient and that is the same as a HEPA quality filter.

So, in short, N95 masks are not oil-resistant masks that remove 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that the general public wear N95 respirators to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including coronavirus (COVID-19). The CDC recommends that members of the public use simple cloth face coverings when in a public setting to slow the spread of the virus since this will help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.