Since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the mask has become an essential and very effective tool to fight the virus and curb the continuous curves of infection .
This main barrier against Covid-19 has meant, however, an extra expense in domestic economies , even more so if it comes to families. And it is that a person who only had to take care of buying their own masks has spent on average, only on surgical masks, 164.40 euros.
This price increases exponentially if we are talking about a family of three members (493.20 euros on average) or four, where spending only on surgical masks has been positioned at 657.60 euros.
Luckily, VAT on masks fell and, consequently, there are many companies that have adapted to this new price, one of them has been Bionica , which reduced the price of PPE by 10 cents, even when the tax reduction it did not affect this type of protectors.
Advantages and novelties of the Proveil mask
These new masks use the nanofiber technology of Proveil filters , which has been patented by CSIC and its spin-off Bioinicia.
This innovation has brought with it a lighter product, which evacuates heat, CO2 and humidity better , so they are more comfortable than those that have traditionally been marketed.
The scientific team that has patented these masks explains that the traditional filter that has been used in the making of masks works through electrostatic charges . “The size of the pore is larger than the size of the virus and the infective aerosols, so the virus could pass through, but since they have electrostatic charges, the infective aerosols remain trapped ,” they explain.
For Bioinicia this is key in the duration of the masks. When a person wears a mask, they breathe, and breathing generates moisture. This moisture dissipates electrical charges, which decreases the durability of the masks in their efficiency against the penetration of these aerosols. That is why they recommend changing the surgical masks after four hours, since that breath, that humidity of the breath dissipates the initial effect and, therefore, loses efficiency.
The advantage of the nanofiber material that these new masks present is that it is a more dense and fine “fabric”.. “To give you a comparative idea, the traditional material of the masks would be like a tennis net and our material would be like a mosquito net, the size of the infective aerosols is that of a pea. If you throw a pea against a tennis net, it will most likely pass to the other side, but the electrostatic forces trap it. In our case, even if you throw peas at a mosquito net, none will pass”, explains, in a very informative way, Jose Maria Lagaron , CSIC researcher and leader of the group of researchers that has developed, together with Bioinicia, the Proveil nanofiber filter.
In addition, these masks can be disinfected through a 70º alcohol solution sprayer., something that could not be done with traditional masks.
Where can this new mask be
purchased
The acquisition of this new mask cannot be through direct sale at the pharmacy, but will be made through the Proveil website, which can be accessed from this same link.
