Why is this an issue?

  • NIOSH-approved N95 respirator protects against at least 95 percent of airborne particles [2]
  • 3M is the largest producer, they make 35 million N95 masks each month [4]
  • The market globally for N95 masks was about $1 billion in 2019 [4]
  • Only 14% of N95 masks end up in the health-care industry [4]
  • Although it’s advisable to wear an N95 mask in the hospital, there a various physiological impacts that could occur for long durations of wearing this mask [3]
  • For example, dizziness, headaches, and shortness of breath are often experienced by the medical staff wearing these masks3
  • There was a survey conducted by Hp Lee and Elnar Wilder-Smith with 212 participants (47 male, 165 female) regarding these issues1
  • 79 (37.3%) reported face-mask associated headaches [1]
  • Of the 79 people, 26 (32.9%) reported frequent headaches up to 6 times per month, 6 (7.6%) had taken a sick leave, and 47 (59.5%) had required use of abortive analgesics [1]

 

 

 

References

  1. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. Headaches and the N95 face-mask amongst healthcare providers. 2006  [cited 2020 October 7]; Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7332926_Headaches_and_the_N95_face-mask_amongst_healthcare_providers
  2. NIOSH. It’s Not What You Think, N95 Myth vs. Fact.  [cited 2020 11/2]; Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/infographic-n-95-508.pdf.
  3. National Taiwan University Hospital. The Physiological Impact of N95 Masks on Medical Staff. September 15, 2005  [cited 2020 October 7]; Available from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00173017.
  4. Al Root. Everything You Need to Know About N95 Masks, and Why Everyone Wants One for the Covid-19 Fight. 2020  [cited 2020 October 7]; Available from: https://www.barrons.com/articles/n95-masks-covid-19-pandemic-51586526375