A mouth cap from a coffee filter. You wouldn’t think so, but it does protect. “It filters very well, but you can’t breathe through it”, laughs Gwen Teesing, researcher at the Department of Public Health at Erasmus MC. She researched mouth masks and what now offers the right protection.
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“The ideal shape of a mouth mask is that of a duckbill. Not the most charming shape, but it fits best with your face”, Teesing tells Radio Rijnmond.
Good alternative
The research on mouth masks started when Teesing experienced a shortage of all kinds of protective equipment in the first wave, including mouth masks. “So I started looking, but there was no good alternative for a mouth mask. That’s why we conducted this research.”
The research not only looked at which material filters particles, but also ‘what is good on your face’. “We also looked at how much air comes through the cracks and whether it is water-repellent and whether you can wash it.”
Coffee filters
She mentions coffee filters as an example. “That’s really a duckbill. We have also tested the coffee filter, but you should not use it. The best we have seen is filter material that is used for ventilation: ePM1 85%. You can get that at the wholesaler on a roll . “
She expects that will become available to everyone at some point. “Then you can suffocate for the whole neighborhood”, she laughs. For the time being, there are also other options: “You can also make such a duckbill from cotton, but then you shouldn’t use ePM1 85%. This will make breathing difficult. It is best to combine pieces of cotton with a layer of kitchen paper. good for filtering particles. “
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