Comparison of filtration efficiency and respiratory resistance of COVID-19 protective masks by multi-national standards

BACKGROUND: Face masks from worldwide satisfy different standards during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the public misunderstanding of the concepts. METHODS: We systematically evaluated the quality of face masks provided by different companies according to multi-national standards, including EN 149-2001+A1: 2009, GB 2626-2019 and NIOSH 42 CFR Part 84-2019, focusing particularly on the particulate filtration efficiency (PFE) and respiratory resistance performance. RESULTS: Three types of masks (planar, folding and cup type masks) were measured based on different standard protocols. The results indicated that the PFE of the mask decreased in sequence of folding mask ≈ cup type mask > planar mask. The respiratory resistance of the masks ranked as follows: cup type mask > folding mask> planar mask. Overall, when PFE was used as the quality indicator, all the masks have a higher chance of meeting criteria of the EN149-2001+A1:2009, followed by the stricter standard set by the GB2626-2019 and NIOSH 42 CFR Part84-2019. Conversely, the respiratory resistance of the masks fulfilled the highest requirement of the EN149-2001+A1:2009 standard, while it is easier to satisfied the standard of GB 2626-2019 and NIOSH 42 CFR Part 84-2019. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that our study provides effective guidance for customers worldwide to choose proper face masks under different epidemic situations.