# Smog/Pollution Mask Revisited...



## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

I brought up the topic of the pollution mask several months and just thought I post this followup conversation I had with my friend who's getting her masters in Chemistry over at UCLA.

She told me that those mask do block and filter out pollution particles, such as diesel particles. She said to get the mask that has the smallest possible "pores" so it traps the most amount of particle. 

What these mask cannot do is filter out vapors or gas. So carbon monoxide and other exhaust gases will still pass through. 

So she says there are benefits to wearing one, it's just that the advertisers and makers of theses mask are very ambiguous with their claims that can lead a person into thinking it blocks out everything, when it does not.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Thanks for the update, Nat. Do you wear one of these?


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

*Respro?*



meat tooth paste said:


> I brought up the topic of the pollution mask several months


was your earlier post re: Respro masks? They seem to be one of the best on the market, albeit hard to track down. Here's a link:

http://ucycle.com/accessories/item.php?name=masks 

I don't have one but would/will wear one during the nasty hot smoggy ozoney days of summer.

thanks
HW


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

I don't wear one...yet. 

Luckily, most of my commutes are not during peak traffic hours. But when do have to ride to early meetings, I am reminded about exhaust as a big delivery truck or school bus spewls a black cloud next to at a light.

I was thinking about picking one up and keeping it the bag.

In my info search, I found out that those disposible white mask rated for pollution can be just as effective as the fancier ones with the replaceable filters (Nashbar one I posted months ago). One key thing is get one that fits well. Often too many are ill fitting so it's not a complete seal around the face, losing it's effectiveness.

Here is a link to a Hong Kong article (circa 2000) about masks. It's in English here:
http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/facemasks.htm


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

The Respros seem to be very similar to the ones in this country called the "Breathe Smog Mask" sold at Nashbar and other US vendors.

They seem to be the only ones marketed for sports.

This article that linked above, but will paste below, mentione the Respro ...

 *Face Masks - Clean Air to Go?*
by Sarah Borwein, Jun 2000
taken from: http://www.cleartheair.org.hk

A number of models of facemask are available in Hong Kong, mainly from bicycle and motorcycle shops. Should you get one?   Intuitively they should be a good idea. Surely it is helpful to wear a mask that filters out those filthy diesel combustion particles and gaseous pollutants in Hong Kong air. But do they really work? And what kind should you buy? 

In general, masks should be efficient at filtering out particles and gaseous pollutants, should form a good seal on the face, and should be comfortable to wear. 

There is very little information available on the efficacy of facemasks, aside from the information provided by manufacturers, which is sometimes hard to interpret. But in 1998, Health Which? Magazine tested seven of the most widely available cycle masks to see how well they filtered out particles, how much they leaked, how much exhaled carbon dioxide stayed in the mask, and how comfortable they were. 

Many masks did not perform well in the tests and could not justify all the promises made on their packaging. Many manufacturers claim that their masks can filter out gases, but that is very hard to verify. Still, particle filtration may be the most important aspect in Hong Kong, and some products did do well in this area. The three products that scored very well for keeping out particles were the *Kanco Eezy Breathe, the Respro Techno Gold, *and the *Techno Gold Upgrade Kit* (www.respro.com). 

In general, masks conforming to the European Standard test for particles (BS EN149) did better. The masks which performed poorly on the Health Which? tests were the Airwear Neo Face Mask, Airwear Outlaw Biker Scarf, Freeway Basics Cyclist's Face Mask and the Respro Urban Survival City 149. None of these masks conformed to the European standard test. 

More expensive masks did NOT necessarily perform better. The Kanco Eezy Breathe Mask was the cheapest mask tested, and one of the best in terms of particle filtration and leakage. 

Unfortunately, the only masks I've been able to find in Hong Kong are the Respro City (which scored poorly on the HealthWhich? tests) and the Respro SmogDog, which was not tested. The SmogDog is disposable, meaning that you throw it away when the filter is dirty, and it sells for HK$160 at the Flying Ball Bicycle Shop in Mong Kok. The Respro City is made of neoprene and has thermal insulation, which can be uncomfortable in Hong Kong's hot climate. Also, even putting aside the questions of efficacy, it is expensive. It goes for HK$300 at the Flying Ball and for HK$420 at Titanic Motorcycle Shop in Fortress Hill. It has a replaceable filter which is also quite expensive. 

And finally, remember that you may need those facemasks MORE when you are inside a car, bus or taxi than when you are out on the streets. Just because the air smells worse outside, does not necessarily mean it is more noxious. When you are outside, you are at least in a ventilated environment. Research has indeed confirmed that those inside vehicles - even with the windows closed and the aircon on - are in a far more polluted environment than those on the streets. Given our levels of roadside pollution, this is a scary thought!


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

*One more article*

Below is a 1998 article from the BBC website and can be found here...

*Health** Cycle masks fail pollution tests
*Tuesday, June 9, 1998 Published at 10:44 GMT 11:44 UK<!--******** END COMPONENT ******** -->

Many cycle masks don't filter out poisonous pollutants and several perform poorly in tests, according to 'Health Which?' magazine.  The magazine tested one upgrade filter and seven of the most commonly used cycle masks for leakage, for how much foreign matter gets into them and for how much carbon dioxide breathed out by cyclists doesn't get out. Many did not come out well, despite their manufacturers' claims. 

*Ozone* 

The main reason cyclists use masks is to filter out harmful pollutants linked to many heart and lung diseases, including asthma, and ozone, which causes sore throats, breathing difficulties and watery eyes. 

The tests found that the price of the mask is no indicator of how well it works. The cheapest mask in the test - Kanco Eezy Breethe - scored well for leakage and filtering out pollutants.


*European standards* 

It was one of three products which did well in keeping out normal and ultra-fine particles of pollution. The others were Respro Techno Gold and the Techno Gold Upgrade Kit.
Masks which passed the European Standard test for particles, known as BS EN149, generally did best in the tests. 

Masks that scored poorly included Airwair Neo Face Mask, Airwear Outlaw Biker Scarf, Freeway Basics Cyclist's Face Mask and Respro Urban Survival City 149. 

'Health Which?' says many of the manufacturers claim their masks can filter out harmful gases. 

*Dubious* 

But it is dubious about the way they test these claims. 

It believes the conditions in which the masks are tested may be "unrepresentative" of the conditions many cyclists will encounter on the road. 

Charlotte Gann, editor of 'Health Which?', advised cyclists to study the test results carefully. "Not all masks give you the protection you're looking for," she said.


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

I found the "Health Which?" magazine article that both the previous articles refer to...

*Cycle Masks Don't All Offer Good Pollution Protection, says Health Which?

*Many cycle masks which claim to filter out pollution did not perform well in tests and could not justify all the promises made on their packaging, says _Health Which?_ today (9.6.98)Taken from: http://www.which.net/media/pr/june98/health/cycle.html

Having established that a good cycle mask should filter out hazardous air pollutants including particles and gases, _Health Which?_ tested seven of the most widely available cycle masks and one upgrade filter.

Of particular concern were the health effects of particles and ultrafine particles linked to many respiratory symptoms and heart and lung diseases through long-term exposure, as well as the consequences of breathing in a number of gases such as ozone, which can cause throat irritation, breathing difficulties and runny eyes.  _Health Which?_ carried out tests for particle and ultrafine particle penetration, for leakage' and for how much exhaled carbon dioxide stays inside a mask. A panel of users also assessed the masks for comfort. 

Among the results, _Health Which?_ discovered: 



Only three products tested scored very well for keeping out both regular and ultrafine particles Â* Kanco Eezy Breathe, Respro Techno Gold and the Techno Gold Upgrade Kit 

Masks conforming to the European Standard test for particles, BS EN149, performed better; none of the masks that scored poorly overall - Airwair Neo Face Mask, Airwear Outlaw Biker Scarf, Freeway Basics Cyclist's Face Mask and Respro Urban Survival City 149 - conformed 

Paying more for a cycle mask doesn't always mean better protection - the Kanco Eezy Breathe, the cheapest mask on test, did well for both particle tests and for the leakage test 

Many manufacturers claim their masks can filter out gases, but this is virtually impossible to verify through tests - Respro provided results on material used in some of their filters, but our expert thought these tests had been carried out in conditions unrepresentative of those you'd ever encounter as a cyclist.


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## gpsser (Oct 25, 2003)

meat tooth paste said:


> I brought up the topic of the pollution mask several months and just thought I post this followup conversation I had with my friend who's getting her masters in Chemistry over at UCLA.
> 
> She told me that those mask do block and filter out pollution particles, such as diesel particles. She said to get the mask that has the smallest possible "pores" so it traps the most amount of particle.
> 
> ...


I was using a Respro Bandito whilst I was in L.A. It is the bandana one with the charcoal filter sewn in. I have to say that I did notice a big difference while wearing it. It definitely cut the exhaust odors and taste down to a very minimal amount. I also noticed an increase in breathing resistance, which I figured was good exercise. It was particularly helpful during the fires last year. If I was to get a nother, it would probably be a Respro Gold, but now that I am in a small town in a remote area, I think that will be unlikely.


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