Pollution mask

Pollution Mask: A pollution mask is a respirator. It is a safety protective device made to provide a basic level of protection to the user against several known and unknown particulate matter (PM) and contaminants in the air.
A pollution mask may be available in two types
1. Simple disposable: The simple design is similar to that of a disposable surgical face mask however, the construction is always a 4 ply fabric which includes a carbon activated layer to absorb and retain pollutants. This results in a particle filteration efficiency of >99%. Available in grey colour only and are disposable (as per waste segregation standards applicable for items requireing incineration) made of a Non-woven fabric.
2. Re-usable filter: These masks have a different design using a plastic enclosure cub where the filter is fixed and the elastic bands are strung on to. The plastic enclosure covers the user's nose and mouth region. The plastic enclosure looks like a oblong cup having plastic vents for the air to flow in. Near the plastic vents, the carbon activated filter is placed to absorb air-borne contaminants. The filter is replaceable.
Protection from Common Air Pollutants
The major health and environment agencies across globe have reported six pollutants of in the air to be the most common (refer to Figure 1 below) . Of these six air contaminants, particulate matter (PM) is a major component of urban air pollution. Technically, PM is made up of fine particles and liquid droplets which may contain acids, organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. It is mainly generated from smoke released by vehicles or by exhaust from industrial activities like mining, quarrying, manufacturing, and construction.
Importance and Need for using pollution Masks
Air pollution is emerging as a major health hazard all over the world, especially in developing countries due to their rapid urbanization. One can gauge the extent of the problem by the fact that more than 1 billion people are globally exposed to outdoor pollution in the air every year. Mathematically, it means that almost 15% of the present world population is exposed to pollution in the air, which can be fatal under severe circumstances. The case in point being report from China which estimated that nearly 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010 were due to outside air contamination, nearly 40 percent of the 3.2 million deaths reported globally due to air pollution.
Additionally, dust and smoke released in the air, due to domestic and commercial activities have further compromised air quality. The report from TUC (Trades Union Congress, a UK based organization) estimates dust to be the biggest cause of work-related deaths. This is because high level of dust can cause lung cancer, COPD, asthma and allergy, all of which are fatal in advanced stage.

Based on size, particulate matters are generally categorized as PM10 or PM2.5, where 10 and 2.5 represent fine particulate matter size in micron. One indicator for high pollution in present times is that almost 90% of countries listed in WHO (World Health Organization) roster have mean annual PM10 level higher than the recommended value of 20 µg/m3. Interestingly, both developing and developed nations show higher than recommended value (refer to Figure 2 below). However, developing countries have much higher levels than developed nations due to rapid pace of growth and urbanization. The point to be noted here is that 90% of pollution of the air in developing countries is because of vehicular emissions.
Impact on Life
Expectedly, pollution levels in the air has been shown to be inversely proportional to life expectancy in several research studies.
An article published in New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated by regression model that a decrease of 10 μg/m3 resulted in an estimated increase in mean (± SE) life expectancy of 0.61 (± 0.20) year (p=0.004).
As per WHO guideline, drop in PM10 pollution from 70 to 20 μg/m3 could result in reduction of air quality related deaths by around 15%.

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