Surgical masks?

This may be a classic case of confirmation bias, but I found this when I googled my N95 manufacturer:
Approved N95 Respirators B Suppliers List | NPPTL | NIOSH | CDC

Anyone know if this is a legitimate CDC website?

Why do you think it is not? Just curious.

Good read:

I dunno. A hundred and sixty posts and no one else seems to have mentioned it!

It is from CDC. Gov - not sure why it would not be a legitimate source. :slight_smile: It was mentioned and possibly linked multiple times in several COVID threads here in the cafe that the FDA/NIOSH have a list of “vetted” masks.

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That’s good enough for me. :grin:

I ordered some masks from Lutema today. I saw a recommendation from a spouse of a pediatrician. She said this is the brand they use.
I also have some LG Airwasher masks which I love but they seem to be sold out.

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Which Lutema masks did you order? It’s pretty confusing the array of options.

https://lutema.com/collections/frontpage/products/adult-5-layer-breathable-disposable-face-mask-made-in-the-usa-5-pack

Thanks—I’m wondering how easy/difficult 5 layers are to breathe through. That’s a huge concern for me.

I’m ordering a 5 pack of the mint green small adult 5-layer masks (since I have a narrow face). Free shipping (not sure if that’s because I’m in San Diego.) I looked at that company and their parent company MI Technologies which among other things, makes PPE masks for industrial use. Their HQ is just north of the border with Mexico and some of their products (but apparently not the 5-layer masks) are manufactured there. I’ll report back on fit and breathability after they arrive (also how well they go with my wardrobe, half of which seems to be green these days).

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That sounds great! Shipping varies a lot for me in HI and discouraged me from buying without getting feedback on how hard/easy the masks are to breathe with. The Savewo masks are pretty breathable but even they make my oxygen levels drop more than I’d like.

My VIDA KN95 masks will supposedly arrive Saturday. No word on the status of the other ones I ordered!

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The Lutema masks are easy to breathe through and don’t touch your mouth or nostrils. They are the brand we use and we all like them. I have a thin silk mask I made in summer of 2020 before the N95 equivalents were available and sometimes I layer that underneath for extra silky comfort :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: and I have no trouble breathing. I wear it for around 2 hrs straight a day when I do volunteering.

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Thanks @Sweetgum ! Glad it works for you. My fav pharmacist says he finds wearing any mask every for for 13 hours straight is irksome to him. He wears plain surgical ones but he’s young and appears pretty fit.

Yeah, I can imagine 13 hrs would get old, but I don’t need to wear them that long.

I am reading a USA Today article about replacing your cloth mask. St. Jude Childrens Hospital recommends that children wear duckbill N95 masks. The duckbill design was created to offer more breathability.

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The health system I work for is now requiring all visitors wear a hospital-grade disposable mask. If people walk in the doors with a cloth mask they will be provided a disposable mask that can be worn alone or over their cloth mask.

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We do something similar. We tell patients to put the second mask OVER their cloth mask.

@abasket do you have the wording on how your health care system defines “hospital-grade”?

Yes, I notice that in some hospital settings visitors are given fresh blue surgical masks. I wonder if the day will come when they start giving out free N95s?