(3–4 Minute read)
To the best of our knowledge, no mandatory standard exists (at time of writing) to test and certify non-medical grade face masks. I.e. fabric/cloth masks manufactured by clothing and textile manufacturers for general public use.
Cloth mask makers may opt to test their product to a medical grade standard (for example EN or ASTM) but results (pass/fail) take time to conclude. Further more, the facility where these masks are being produced needs to pass and maintain a stringent quality management program which can take months to implement. Simply put, the cost and timeline to do so is prohibitive.
What about a WHO (World Health Organisation) certified or approved cloth face mask? The WHO aren’t a standards and certification body. The WHO is not in the business of developing product standards or certifying products.
You can read about WHO activities here:
https://www.who.int/about/what-we-do
Interestingly, at the time of this writing, WHO’s COVID-19 guidelines for the public is not clear on the widespread use of masks. They do however urge each country to formulate their own policy and continue to rightly advise respiratory hygiene, hygiene, distancing, isolation of the sick, etc.
You can read WHO’s COVID-19 guidelines for the public here:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
So why the call for the SA public to use cloth face masks? Source control. Evidence indicates that the virus spreads from the mouth of an infected person in droplet form while speaking, sneezing or coughing. And there is sufficient evidence to suggest that cloth (non-medical) face masks are effective at containing these droplets, thus curbing community transmission.
Our masks. Texrex™ took the recommended guidelines for cloth masks into consideration and developed a 3 ply design that fits well (for most people), is easy to use and care for. We didn’t opt for a removable mid layer (filter). Instead, we decided on a fine weave 100% cotton for the mid and face contact layers. This was a practical consideration as there’s no need to remove a filter for washing or replacement. The mask is washed as a unit and all fabric layers act as filter.
To conclude, we use our own masks in a family of five, and the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. A big thank you is due to our customers who decided to support a small local business. It means a great deal to us. The Texrex team.
PS: We will gladly confirm (on our company letterhead) that the mask you purchased from us is indeed a 3 ply cloth/fabric mask. The Texrex™ tag fixed to the elastic head strap may be used to identify our mask.
Cloth image used in this post by:
Luca Laurence