Do we need a pollution mask in India?

Though there is growing consensus among the scientists that the pollution is emerging as one of the major global problems and should be tackled on the priority, there is little or no effort on the part of the governments to tackle it with a sense of urgency. Mostly it is a knee jerk reaction and the steps taken are rather cosmetic. The result is that the pollution levels are rising with every passing day and people are paying the cost with their health.

The diseases caused by inhaling polluted air are on the rise. Indeed it is time for us to take the matter into our own hands and do something about it to protect ourselves. Indeed we need a pollution mask so that at least we can minimize the effect of pollution when we walk out of our homes and straight into the gas chamber that our cities have become. The Air Quality Index (AQI) level is measured for six pollutants that are responsible for ill health.

The one pollutant that can really cause a lot of damage to human health is called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. This pollutant is not easily digestible in the human body and can penetrate deep into our bloodstream. When PM 2.5 level gets too high, it is recommended that individuals should wear a Mask. The World Health Organization has found that the safest dosage of PM2.5 in a 24-hour time period is approximately 25 ug/m3. This is an AQI score of roughly 30. Any more exposure than this in a 24-hour period can lead to serious lung or respiratory issues, and even cancer.

Wearing a pollution mask is your only protection against such diseases. Though there are different standards set by different governments and organization, it is generally held that wearing a mask should be recommended when the AQI score exceeds 200, or a PM2.5 concentration of 150 ug/m3. This scale is allowing 6 times more PM2.5 ug/m3 exposure in a 24-hour period than is recommended for healthy standards set by the World Health Organization. In Delhi, the PM 2.5 level is around 400 ug/m3 on normal days in winter! Indeed we need a mask and that too of a good quality which can prevent the PM 2.5 from entering our system. Indeed there are many masks available in the market but most of them are neither tested nor designed to give you protection against the PM 2.5 level.

At best they can filter dust and smoke or in some cases bacteria, but do not provide any protection against the PM 2.5 The one pollution mask that is effective and sleekly designed to fit you is Airfic Anti Pollution Mask which is an N99 Mask available in India. It perfectly fit the bill and now they are available in India on our online store nirvanabeing.com. What differentiates them from other products is that they are available in different colors and designs and look better than the plain white industrial looking ones.

Vogmask respirators are N-99 rated, which means that they filter an average of 99.978% particulate matter (PM2.5), which is an improvement on N-95 masks. Make sure that you select the ones that are N-99 rated and marked CV; C stands for activated carbon filter which absorbs pollutants like ozone and sulfur dioxide and also filters out unpleasant smells while V means that the model has an exhaust valve which prevents condensation from building up. Vogmask is CE and FPP2R certified, which means it is reusable and washable too. However, there is a word of caution; an anti-pollution mask like N99 Mask should be used carefully if it is to be effective. It is important to ensure that the mask fits well on the face otherwise it will be useless. Also, remember to read the usage instructions carefully.