Demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks and heavy-duty N95 masks have increased manifold amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world is scrambling to cope with a surge in demand for surgical masks, TASS reports, Russia’s Rostec corporation has developed an anti-bacterial respirator mask that protects one from viruses and all microorganisms.
State-owned Rostec’s representative told TASS that the new protective mask is effective against all kinds of microorganisms, including tuberculosis, spores of mold and fungi, against bacteria, all volatile organic compounds and even foul smells of organic origin. Air disinfection systems are a priority at Ramensky Instrument Engineering Plant, a Rostec’s KRET (Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies) subsidiary.
The mask uses TIOKRAFT photocatalytic air purification system, which stops harmful substances and then breaks them down into water and carbon dioxide using UV light, preventing all microorganisms and virus.
“The respirator also protects the wearer from viruses with airborne and droplet transmission,” the firm’s representative told TASS.
N95 respirator, the facemask that protects the wearer from 95 percent of airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face, are still not manufactured in India. China has seized the opportunity and new licenses for producing masks that meet the standards for use by medical professionals are being issued by regulators. Close to 9,000 new manufacturers begun producing masks in China, reports to business data platform Tianyancha.
Many factories used to produce shoes, machines and spare parts have been retooled to produce facemasks for health-care workers as well as common man for protection against coronavirus. Exporters have increased the production to more than 200 million face masks a day. According to WHO, more than 1,136,850 people have been infected worldwide and over 62,950 are dead.
