Jules she/her1d ago

Does anyone know of any #MaskBloc s or #CovidSafe groups near #Exeter #Devon? My work has just found three crates of FFP2 masks with an expiry date of November 2025 but which will at least provide partial protection. Does anyone know of anyone who might want these?

@sheffieldmaskbloc @maskblocorg

Please boost

Show threadInfoseepage1d ago
@afewbugs @sheffieldmaskbloc @maskblocorg There was some testing earlier in the pandemic of 3M masks (I think they were 8210's - been made forever) which had been sitting on a shelf for like 10 years and they tested them on lab grade particulate machinery and found the performance was barely degraded compared to a brand spanking new mask. The melt blown layers just do not go bad and the only real risk point were the rubber straps. I'd have absolutely no hesitancy about using these masks.
Show threadJennifer Moore 😷1d ago

@Infoseepage

Thanks for that info! I was wondering whether the electrostatic charge could degrade and it sounds like not, so that's great to know.

Show threadcwicseolfor1d ago
@unchartedworlds @Infoseepage Provided they're in the original wrapping and weren't flooded or something it should be good to go. Came to add the same info as above - a lot of the production runs from the start of the pandemic are just now expiring, so this is an excellent time for anyone to stock up.
Show threadInfoseepage1d ago
@cwicseolfor @unchartedworlds A lot of folding style masks are individually wrapped in impermeable plastic. Carefully stored, those might last a long, long time. The things which might go bad are the adhesives, nose foams and rubber elastics, but there are designs which don't really rely on those. I far prefer ultrasonically welded fabric elastics to stapled rubber band ones. I gave up up the 3m Aura 9205+ despite it's excellent filtration performance due to too many rubber band failures.
Show threadcwicseolfor

@Infoseepage @unchartedworlds I've been thinking a lot about how to amend those rubber band issues - having elastic with clips that can grab the staples seems like a reasonable way to still make use of them without compromising the filter media.

I loaded up on 9205+ at something obscene, under seven cents each iirc, and although I've been giving them out fifty at a time I'm still going to probably have a few when the elastics die. I was disappointed to learn the straps are polyisoprene, so they're not compostable once removed, but they're also likely to last longer than natural latex would have.

Apr 8 at 7:13pmWeb
Show threadInfoseepage1d ago
@cwicseolfor @unchartedworlds Yeah, that's an absurdly low price. It's a full on respirator for less than the cost of a ASTM3 surgical mask.