FPP2 masks

[50but17inside]

These seem readily available on Amazon again, I seem to remember last March that they were taken off listings so that they could be preserved for medics etc?

If they really do limit inhalation of smaller viral particles better than ordinary surgical masks, wouldn’t it be a better idea for vulnerable members of public to wear them for situations like outpatient appointments etc. I see the Royal College of Nursing is calling for a raised standard of protective masks for nhs staff across the board - they obviously know what they’re talking about. The surgical masks are so basic.

I appreciate that hospital staff have much more potential than the public for increased exposure to viral load but have to say I’ve ordered one of these for a family member who is about to start outpatient diagnostics for likely bowel cancer - I’m thinking that if they put a standard clean surgical mask over the top of it they will be complying with hospital requirements. I’ve no idea what it would feel like to breathe with two masks on like this but desperate to protect them.

The threads on here about nosocomial infection are so concerning

I’ve had people come into clinic wearing them and they are poorly fitted so less than useless. If they are fitted well, but without a fit test, then they offer the same protection as a surgical mask.

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/uncategorised/phe-says-gps-can-use-higher-grade-face-masks-without-being-fit-tested/

www.rcn.org.uk/magazines/bulletin/2020/june/fit-test-vs-fit-check-covid-19

@1001 Thanks so much for your post. I wonder if we are talking about the same thing? I mean the white shaped Fpp2 masks - they go under your chin and you just push the wire at the top around your nose the same as the surgical ones. They don’t have a plastic filter built in. Is this what you mean?

In Bavaria and some areas of Austria they are now obligatory and the only ones that can be used.
Maybe it’s going to be the next thing we have to do.

Hospital staff are fit tested for the use of these.

Yes I keep seeing people in European cities wearing them. I wonder if it’s what’s next for us too

We all wear different masks at work as we are all face fitted so the above would be useless unless you pass the test wearing one.

I bought some recently. As a glasses wearer I can tell it's letting less air out at least as my glasses are not steaming up at all. It feels like a good tight fit in general, perhaps just a fortunate coincidence that the ones I bought fit me so well.

I’m intrigued how they are fit tested - all you can do is squish the wire as closely round your nose as possible.

@10001namechanges is talking about FFP2 masks, OP.
They only work much better than surgical masks if they are fit-tested for each model, & fit-checked each time the person puts them on.

You're supposed to wear them for up to 8 hours and then decontaminate or throw away. You're not supposed to bunch in a bag or pocket or treat the way we treat cloth items.

These things work great in laboratories, fairly consistently for health professionals who have proper donning/doffing procedures & stations but are very mediocre protection for ordinary people in shops.

ps: men need to shave their beards to get a good fit.

Lose or gain weight? -- need to refit.

Careful how you decontaminate or they rapidly lose protectiveness.

@50but17inside

I’m intrigued how they are fit tested - all you can do is squish the wire as closely round your nose as possible.

I've tried some of this style of mask and the bottom is about half an inch under my chin! Moving it up would cover my eyes... There is more to a good fit than just the nose wire.

I used to fit testing for these masks. It’s quite a lengthy procedure where someone puts the mask on, puts a sealed hood on with a little porthole and a bitter then a sweet spray is sprayed in while the person does various stuff such as talking/moving their head around, etc. If they can’t taste the spray then it fits. Some people never get a fit with one type and need another type.

Once you’ve been fit tested once it’s just a case of remembering how tight to tighten it up.

I have ffp3 masks which I use if I had to go in what I’d consider a high risk place. So I wear it in Aldi, don’t bother in Waitrose where there’s better social distancing.

Dd had to go to a&e recently and she wore one even though she’s not been properly fit tested. I put it on her as best as I could fit it and that had to be better than a cloth mask.

I used to do fit testing. I was one of the trained people who would help colleagues make sure they were fitted correctly/do the training.

Both FFP2 and FFP3 need fit testing. In essence, what they do is stick your head in a plastic bag, squirt a foul tasting spray in, you move your head and talk etc and see if you can taste it.

I have failed fit test on masks that felt really snug and secure. Without the formal test I would not have known that these masks were leaking.

If they have ear loops they are unlikely to fit sufficiently well as to pass fit-testing. All the models we wear have straps that go behind the head.

There is a process to fit them, it takes hours (depending on how it is done and if you need to try more than one.)
It is not a case of squeezing it around your face you are asked to wear the mask then a bag- looks like a bee keepers mask over your head. Chemicals are sprayed in to see if you can taste them. You have to be trained to do this on others. It really is more complicated than you are imagining and it makes me annoyed the flipancy and ignorance of people who just dont believe it because its out of their experience. (Looking at my mother here).

@Serenschintte

In Bavaria and some areas of Austria they are now obligatory and the only ones that can be used. Maybe it’s going to be the next thing we have to do.

I'll never leave the house at this rate!

This is really educational, thanks.

It sounds like the German authorities have decided that if people are going to wear masks wrong, they might as well wear the ones that have the most chance to provide most protection some of the time (in spite of all our wrong wearing habits).

But probably a waste of expensive PPE over all.

I find it really hard to believe that an FFP2 or FFP3 mask suddenly becomes useless because it is not fitted perfectly. How on earth can it be worse than a typical gaping at the sides mask?

Yep I have to agree Em777. I’ve just read the news re Austria and Bavaria, you would think their decision is evidence based. I’ve tried using one today, it’s so much more substantial in face coverage and secure, it has more layers internally, very hard to believe it could be any worse. I’m going to suggest my relative uses one with the paper one over it for their appointments - will see how that feels for them breathing-wise

The fit tests are designed to test if they protect the wearer.

In Germany they are being mandated primarily as a public health measure to prevent infected passengers infecting other people. Presumably they are working on the assumption that even a poorly fitting FFP2 provides better protection than a surgical or cloth mask.

@50but17inside

Yep I have to agree Em777. I’ve just read the news re Austria and Bavaria, you would think their decision is evidence based. I’ve tried using one today, it’s so much more substantial in face coverage and secure, it has more layers internally, very hard to believe it could be any worse. I’m going to suggest my relative uses one with the paper one over it for their appointments - will see how that feels for them breathing-wise

Jeremy Hunt has called for their introduction here in shops and on public transport as well.

I have some 3M FFP2 masks and the seal is a million times better than a standard mask. I can’t smell anything through them. They may be imperfect in a medical situation without a fit test but I believe them to be much better than a cloth mask.

Even a poorly fitting FFP2 must surely reduce the amount of particles inhaled and exhaled compared to a basic surgical mask??

No one is looking for 100% protected (which would need a fit test) - just a lowering of risk.

Which surely would be provided by FFP2 over FFP1?

@Em777 I wouldn't go with useless. But certainly no better than a FRSM, with the downsides of being less comfortable, more expensive, and harder to decontaminate.

[quote Motorina]@Em777 I wouldn't go with useless. But certainly no better than a FRSM, with the downsides of being less comfortable, more expensive, and harder to decontaminate.[/quote]
Fair enough. I have to say I find them a lot more comfortable than my other masks, and no worries about glasses fogging up etc.