What are elastomeric masks and why do they protect more from aerosols than FFP2 or KN95

The fear of contagion by aerosols has caused the population to use mostly FFP2 masks because they adapt. However, there is another type of mask, the elastomeric one, which is positioned as the best against aerosols because its adaptation to the facial physiognomy is better.

What are elastomeric masks

José Luis Jiménez, PhD in Engineering from MIT and Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado, is dedicated in this coronavirus pandemic to explaining scientific advances in Covid-19 research in a simple and direct way.

Thus, he is a firm defender that one of the main routes of contagion of the coronavirus is aerosols. For this reason, he has been the one who has recommended elastomeric masks through his Twitter account, which are a type of protection that uses a KN95 or FFP2 type filter but offers greater protection because they ensure a better adaptation through a frame silicone that is fixed to the face.

Envomask elastomeric masks: price and reuse

The expert, in particular, mentioned the elastomeric masks of the, which stand out for using KN95 filters and a silicone structure that contours around the face and nose to provide a secure seal. This fixing system causes from a better protection to aerosols to prevents the glasses from fogging up.

The problem with these masks is their price, as they can be purchased for $79. However, each mask kit includes the silicone frame itself that houses the mask, five filters, headgear, and storage case. Additionally, the company explains that individually packaged filters remain clean and electrostatically charged until ready to use. Each filter has a shelf life of ten years allowing for long-term storage.

The elastomeric mask made in Spain

I forgot my cloth mask today, so it was a good day to try a mask brace for my backup surgical-type mask. A ????on making it and my impressions of it. /1

— Linsey Marr (@linseymarr)

Another protection system that the expert from the University of Colorado has recommended is a fixing method related to elastomeric masks but more rudimentary. It is a kind of harness that fixes a surgical mask to the face and prevents it from leaving gaps.

This protection system has been patented in Spain by the Adema University School of Dentistry, attached to the UIB (public university of the Balearic Islands). In fact, its inventors explain that their attachment method turns a surgical mask into a