Standards and protective performance of non-medical masks in China

Abstract:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly transmits through close range droplets and close contact, masks can reduce the risk of infection and the probability of transmission. Due to the limited capacity of production of medical masks, local governments encourage enterprises to produce non-medical masks to meet public needs for the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic. This article introduces the relevant standards of non-medical masks in China, compares and analyzes the protective performance requirements such as bacterial filtration efficiency and particle filtration efficiency, proposes important indicators of non-medical masks for protecting against novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). 102 enterprise standards of non-medical masks announced in each province in China from January 27 to February 25, 2020 were analyzed, standardization of non-medical masks for epidemic prevention and control are put forward in order to provide assistance to relevant departments, enterprises and general population.