3M, Kimberly-Clark Among Few to Make Swine Flu Masks
3M Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. are among the few manufacturers that make respiratory masks sophisticated enough to ward off swine flu, exacerbating a shortage at retailers.
Only masks rated N95 or above, which can filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles, are effective at blocking the H1N1 virus, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. N95 respirators require sophisticated manufacturing techniques because they contain a filter often made of carbon, health officials said.
“If you are going to wear a mask, the N95 is the one, but it has to be fitted properly and is difficult to breathe from,” said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association in Washington, in a telephone interview. Regular face masks are loose-fitting and block only large particles, he said in an April 29 interview.
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