Air pollution kills thousands of people every year. Some studies report more than 40,000 per year in France alone. It is therefore essential to protect your respiratory tract from airborn particles (dust, exhaust fumes, etc.) and even more so if you are cyclists or motorcyclists because they are the ones who breathe the most contaminants in the middle of car traffic. The question that arises is therefore how to choose the best anti-pollution mask?
Anti-pollution masks must be equipped with filters that meets an official quality standard.
Far too many brands propose masks with filters without any filtration standard. It is therefore not possible to know what percentage of particles are blocked when inhaling and especially up to what particle size the filter remains effective. You might as well put a tissue over your face!
There are three efficiency classes: FFP (Filtering Facepiece Particles) for disposable filtering half-masks. Levels 1, 2 and 3 meet the same requirements. They are defined according to their filtration performance against a sodium chloride aerosol composed of particles with a mass median diameter of 0.6 microns and against a paraffin oil aerosol with a median diameter of 0.4 microns with a flow rate of 95 L/min.
An FFP1 mask must filter at least 80% of the particles in these aerosols, an FFP2/N95 mask 94% and an FFP3/N99 mask 99%.
FFP3 masks are known to be difficult to wear for long periods of time because it is more difficult to breathe in.
Be careful to choose a mask with the CE standard stamped on each filter with the certification number.
An effecient anti-pollution mask must fit your face
You will find many one size fits all masks on the market. How is it possible that the same mask can be perfectly adapted to the morphology of a 50kg woman's face as well as that of an 80kg man? As for clothing, it is more than logical to find different sizes so that a maximum of inspired air passes through the filter of the mask and not through the sides. It is therefore recommended to favor brands that offer several sizes of their anti-pollution masks.
Beware of bearded men for whom this seal will not be optimal if the beard prevents the mask from sticking well to the skin. The air inhaled will therefore not be ideally filtered.
A quality anti-pollution mask does not need exhalation valves
The exhalation valve is generally advertised to facilitate the evacuation of CO2 and exhaled hot air, thus avoiding condensation inside the mask. In reality, this is not the case unless the valve is just in front in line with the mouth. In the vast majority of cases, there are two of them and they are positioned on each side of the mask. The exhaled air is then not powerful enough to pass through the silicone valves. It remains trapped in the mask and if it is made of neoprene, condensation is guaranteed. These masks are quite unbearable in summer when it is hot.
The exhalation valve is an outdated technology. Today, by using latest generation fabrics, it can easily be done without it. Depending on the masks, the surface occupied by the valve represents 5 to 10% of the filtering surface. It therefore opposes inspiration. Finally, the valve is heavy. It affects the comfort of the mask.
Plastic valves are fragile, they can break or fall off, making the mask unusable or requiring after-sales service. They are expensive and therefore add a lot to the manufacturing price of a mask and finally they are made of plastic and therefore polluting.
The valves are actually used to secure the filters into the mask and to ensure that you purchase those specific filters from the manufacturer and not elsewhere.
Additionally, the valves do not filter exhaled air, which poses a problem for those who want to protect others in the event of an epidemic or if they are sick.
A comfortable anti-pollution mask should not hinder head movements.
The mask fastening system is key for repeated use or over long periods. A system that only attaches the mask via elastic bands behind the ears will quickly tend to become unbearable because of the pressure it exerts on the ears. No need to draw a picture, we all experienced this during pandemic.
Many brands have therefore opted for a repositionable system at the nape of the neck. This also makes it easier for cyclists and motorcyclists to wear a helmet. Be careful not to tighten the mask too much, otherwise it will tend to ride up when you lower your head.
A premium mask should prevent fogging of glasses
Glasses wearers know the inconvenience of having a mask that lets hot exhaled air pass down the nose and turns into fog in contact with the lenses. The solution is to opt for a mask that fits the shape of the nose well via a flexible noseband system that gently pinches the bridge of the nose.
Frogmask masks meet all these needs point by point.
As an expert in the anti-pollution mask category, I created the brand Frogmask taking into account all the criteria necessary to obtain a high quality product, made in France and at a very affordable price in the lower average of the market.
Frogmask masks are equipped with FFP2/N95 filters that filter a minimum of 94% of fine particles up to 0.4µm. They have the CE standard.
They are available in 3 sizes M, L and XL
They do not have exhalation valves because the attachment system with the small pockets on each side is perfectly sufficient. The filter is breathable enough that you do not need one.
The Frogmask attachment system is dual. A loop on the ears prevents the mask from falling, especially when wearing a helmet, and the repositionable system on the nape of the neck allows the mask to be attached even with a ponytail.
Finally, with two nosebands (one on the filter and the other on the mask), hot air does not rise up the nose. Frogmasks are known for not fogging up glasses. This of course depends on the different shapes of noses and glasses.
