What is an FFP2 mask? Thanks for asking!

You likely hadn’t heard of FFP2 masks in pre-COVID-19 days, but they are in huge demand right now. The FFP abbreviation stands for filtering facepiece, which pretty much explains the purpose of such a mask. They are also known as respiratory protection masks and cover half of the face, specifically the chin, nose and mouth. FFP2 masks filter dust particles in the air, as well as viruses such as COVID-19. The spotlight is currently on care workers using them as personal protective equipment in hospitals. But they are commonly used by workers in many industries when they are exposed to fine particles.

And what is the particularity of this mask?

In the European Union, the EN149 standard is used to class FFP masks from 1 to 3 according to their efficiency. As you have likely surmised, the FFP2 mask is in the middle of the range. It has a minimum filtration of 94% and maximum 8% internal leak rate. Different criteria are used to classify masks depending on the jurisdiction. In the USA, the N95 mask is considered functionally equivalent to the FFP2 mask. In China, it’s the KN95 respirator and in Australia it’s the P2 mask. During the ongoing international health crisis, wearing a mask is recommended to limit airborne transmission of the virus. However, there are shortages of suitable surgical and respiratory masks in many countries, so they are being reserved primarily for frontline care workers.

Does wearing a mask really help stop coronavirus? And what about homemade masks then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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