Medical disposable masks are mainly used for the protection of droplet isolation. The outer layer has a water-blocking effect, which can prevent droplets from entering the mask to the inside; the middle layer has a filtering effect, with a filtering effect of ≥90%, and the inner layer near the mouth and nose is used to absorb moisture . However, medical disposable masks have limited particle filtration efficiency, and are mostly rectangular in design, and their adhesion to the face is not as tight as that of medical protective masks.
Medical disposable masks are not recommended for long-term use. If you wear a mask for a long time, the nasal mucosa will become fragile and lose the original physiological function of the nasal cavity. Therefore, it is best not to wear a disposable medical mask for a long time. Masks are more suitable for use in special environments, such as places with many people and poor air circulation.
Therefore, the use time of medical disposable masks is generally recommended not to exceed 4 hours, and it is advisable to change it every 2 to 4 hours, because the use of medical disposable masks for too long will cause large particles to be blocked on the surface of the mask or blockage by ultrafine particles. The gap in the filter material of the mask causes the filtration efficiency of the medical disposable mask to decrease and the respiratory resistance to increase.
Moreover, if the disposable mask is used for too long, the surface of the mask will also condense water mist, which wets the surface of the mask, so that the protective effect of the mask is basically gone. Therefore, if the mask no longer forms an effective seal on the face, becomes wet or obviously dirty, breathing becomes more difficult, and it is contaminated by blood, breathing or nasal secretions or other body fluids of the patient, it needs to be discarded.
It should be noted that medical disposable masks are not recommended to be cleaned. If we disinfect the used masks by boiling with water, spraying with alcohol or disinfecting with ultraviolet light, theoretically, we can eliminate the bacteria and viruses sticking to the mask. Yes, but high-temperature boiling and alcohol spraying will destroy the fibers of the meltblown non-woven fabric, so the function of the mask will be reduced.