The World Health Organisation recommends the use of masks as part of a comprehensive package of prevention and control measures to limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19.
Masks can be used either for protection of healthy persons (worn to protect oneself when in contact with an infected individual) or for source control (worn by an infected individual to prevent onward transmission).
Amongst other recommendations, the World Health Organisation advises that:
- selected fabrics should capture droplets and particles, but should be easy to breathe through; and
- fabrics that support high temperature washing are preferable.
The use of SonoChem treated fabrics is consistent with World Health Organisation recommendations.
SonoChem’s unique antiviral/antimicrobial face masks will provide 100% protection by killing any virus or bacteria that come in contact with them, offering a level of protection against viruses and bacteria (including the influenza virus) currently unavailable on a mass scale.
When worn by asymptomatic virus carriers, SonoChem face masks will kill viruses exhaled by the wearers, reducing the likelihood of spread to others, and protecting the general population.
As SonoChem face masks are washable and reusable, they offer a solution to the growing pollution problem caused by millions of daily discarded masks across the world and have clear environmental advantages.
The World Health Organisation recommends the use of masks by all persons in public settings to reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19. Comprehensive advice has been issued in relation to the use of masks in the community, during home care and in healthcare settings in areas that have reported cases of COVID-19.
The United States-based CDC recommends the use of cloth face coverings by all people aged 2 and over in public settings as a barrier to prevent respiratory droplets from travelling in the air and on to other people, as a method of source control.
The University of California San Francisco prepared a summary report in relation to the role of face masks in reducing the spread of diseases including coronavirus.
Conservationists have warned that the coronavirus pandemic could spark a surge in ocean pollution - adding to a glut of plastic waste that already threatens marine life - after finding disposable masks floating like jellyfish and waterlogged latex gloves scattered across seabeds. (The Guardian newspaper, 9 June 2020).
The World Economic Forum has reported on the significant global pollution issues associated with disposable masks, citing a study that estimated that if every person in the United Kingdom used a single-use face mask every day for twelve months it would create an additional 66,000 tonnes of contaminated waste and 57,000 tonnes of plastic packaging.
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