Does Wearing Air Mask Help Protect Against Fine Dust in South Korea?
If you have wondered if the masks that many Koreans wear to protect themselves from fine dust work, well this study indicates that they do:
Most face masks tested recently by a consumer group work as advertised, with only one failing.
Joong Ang Ilbo
The Daejeon and South Chungcheong branch of the Voice for Consumers tested 20 masks for their ability to protect wearers against particulate pollutants, and 19 provided the level of protection equal to or better than that claimed on the packaging.
All 20 products passed purity tests, which checked for chemicals such as formaldehyde.
YJ Corporation’s large-sized YJCM3 product, sold as a Korea Filter (KF) 94 mask, filtered only 87 percent of particulate matter compared to its advertised amount – 94 percent.
The KF mark indicates the percentage of particulate matter filtered.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has ordered the YJ Corporation mask that failed the test to be recalled and discarded. Production may also be stopped for violating pharmaceutical laws. The organization also checked 50 mask products for the level of information on the packaging, and it found that six did not provide sufficient information. It also reported that some 3M Nexcare mask products, past their expiration period of 36 months, were being sold.
You can read more at the link.
