UK MANUFACTURER UNVEILS NEXT GENERATION SUPER-SAFE FACE MASK
Barbara Fergusson Thompson
The AngelMed Scapular Gilet championed by shoulder guro's Prof Angus Wallace, Mr Ian Bayley and Mr Alan Yewlett. Dramatically improves shoulder function, range, and strength.
Amid another National lockdown and the knowledge that this virus is likely to be around for some time to come, is it time to upgrade your mask? It's not just about one face mask fits all occasions, there are times when we need something that offers greater protection and gives you, the wearer, the confidence for getting back on that plane, bus or train.
Local manufacturing company AngelMed has developed a super-traveller face mask. Better known for its specifically engineered 4DflexiSPORT? brand of medical supports for sporting injuries and chronic ailments, it has, like many others turned to producing and supplying face masks.
Back in April when Coronavirus hit home, a washable reusable mask was unheard of. “We knew little about the virus”, says managing director Barbara Thompson, “I wanted to keep my workforce safe and importantly, communicate with them face to face. I needed a mask that would protect the wearer. And with the opening of a further factory in Poland, I had to get out there as soon as lock-down was lifted and feel safe and confident about it.”
Necessity being the mother of invention, I called upon our team of medical experts to help with the designing and testing. A decade in the medical supports industry and a working connection with some of the best-known names in the medical world undoubtedly helped.
Only three weeks into the pandemic our first masks were ready to send to researchers and medics for testing including, Professor Ian Swain, surgeon Ian Bayley, Team GB physio Ashley Wallace and virologist Michael Le Geyt. A few tweaks later and the first 4DflexiSPORT? mask was sold from our website on the 2nd of May with a study into the efficacy of our reusable mask, by Professor Swain, published in the Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology shortly after.
By July a surreal new reality was dawning as the wearing of face masks was made compulsory in the UK. COVID-19 saw Brits scrambling to buy masks now dubbed the next big fashion accessory and reduced in status to a face covering. The floodgates opened as a frenzy of different shapes and loud fabric designs appeared on faces across the nation. Any medical worth or standard had gone by the wayside.
Nine months on into a second national lock-down, and unlike the first wave, there’s masks and face coverings aplenty.
“We have a far better understanding of the virus now”, says Barbara. For AngelMed its emphasis remains on protecting the wearer specifically against this vapour borne virus.
The latest study by researchers Loretta Fernandez and Amy Mueller echoes our findings from all those months ago.
"Masks don't really act as a sieve," Fernandez explains. "We're not asking them to be like a strainer." Instead, masks need to slow down viral transmission. "If the air paths [into the mask] can be made to have twists and turns, that increases the chance of particles coming into contact with the fibres in the mask, [where they'll] stick and get trapped."
The 4DflexiSPORT? face mask adopts this science through the woven maze-like twist and turn construction of a 3D spacer fabric. Then by adding two layers together - each with built-in vapour resistant filtration technology - making it easy to breathe through whilst delivering superior protection.
In addition to the fabric, Mueller explains, "we found that the variation was often more related to the seal of the mask, rather than the material itself. A very large fraction of the base efficacy of any mask comes from having a good seal around it.”
4DflexiSPORT’s mask adheres to this base efficacy, using 3D moulded design to create a snug fit over the lower face and with a metal nose strip closing any gaps around the nose. Forming a good seal also stops specs misting up and breath blowing into the eyes, now also known to cause eye problems. Importantly, it stands clear of the nostrils and lips making speaking much easier and eliminating that claustrophobic feeling many experience when wearing a mask. Despite having high filtration, the mask is easy to breathe through without compromising blood oxygen levels.
For those who need to commute, whether it be by car, train or aeroplane, mounting evidence continues to show that masks serve as a barrier, preventing respiratory droplets from travelling into the air and onto other people.
4DflexiSPORT’s mask gave Gloria Hunniford, television personality and darling of ITV’s Loose Women, the confidence to re-join her fellow lunchtime presenters in person after 13 weeks of lock down. She expressed her fears about the COVID19 pandemic and her need to feel safe when venturing out in public. “I am nervous about getting back out there again”, said Gloria, also a presenter of the BBC’s Rip Off Britain programme. “That may sound crazy but I just have this horrible feeling that it might just get worse again. I am not a pessimist but I am being cautious about it.”
“We are delighted that Gloria has chosen our face mask, as she is clearly taking her own personal safety very seriously,” said Barbara. “I have since spoken to Gloria, who has now felt confident enough flying to France on holiday because of our mask.”
[*AIRLINE ARTICLE] A study into how the virus affects airline travellers looked at a flight where mask-wearing was not compulsory and one that was. It found that one person, flying business class from London to Hanoi, with symptoms while flying and testing positive for COVID-19 on arrival had, out of the 21 passengers in business class, infected 12 plus 3 in economy class, making a total of 15 transmissions out of the 201 passengers.
Compare that to data from a series of Emirates flights showing how Emirates’ mandatory mask policy may have helped prevent transmissions. There were zero transmissions among 2,000 passengers total according to data collected in Hong Kong.
The American Defence Department did 300 aerosol-release tests using mask-wearing mannequins to simulate infected passengers on an aircraft. They found that when a passenger is seated with a mask on, only 0.003 percent of infected air particles can enter that passenger’s breathing zone—even when the plane is completely full.
In addition to offering effective barrier protection, the 4DflexiSPORT? face mask is fully washable and 100% reusable, provides a convenient one size fits all and is comfortable for long continuous wear. For those with a conscience about the waste created by paper masks, it provides an environmentally friendly reusable alternative.
It is hoped that the extra protection the 4DflexiSPORT? mask offers a real game-changer for travellers and provides confidence for us all to get back out there again safely.
CONTACT DETAILS: 01476 516200 / 07968 510452
*Loretta Fernandez and Amy Mueller study https://www.salon.com/2020/10/25/how-to-tell-if-your-nonmedical-grade-fashion-mask-is-really-working/
*AIRLINE ARTICLE https://www.afar.com/magazine/how-much-do-masks-really-protect-you-on-flights
Coronavirus may have 'mutated' to spread faster
Face masks could be giving people Covid-19 immunity
Amazons face masks leave allot to be desired.
Face shields worn by hairdressers and salon workers DON'T protect against Covid-19 but masks DO
Researchers identify optimal face masks for controlling respiratory droplets
Rapid review of the science of the effectiveness of different face mask types and coverings
Coronavirus: Oxford study finds face masks and coverings work
Unmasked! The effect of face masks on the spread of COVID-19
HKU infectious disease expert Prof Yuen Kwok-yung HAMSTER STUDY
FULL STUDY - Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Creating a society that redefines lifespan through innovative healthcare solutions as a global hub.
1 年Barbara, thanks for sharing!
Director at Biosafe Innovations
4 年Looks great Barb, good luck