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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to An Empirical Equation for Rapid Validation of the Performance of Commercial N95 Equivalent Respirators
ClearFiltration Performance and Fiber Shedding Behavior in Common Respirator and Face Mask Materials
Researchers tested seven common respirator and face mask materials for how well they filter airborne particles and whether they shed fibers. The N95 respirator performed best with over 95% filtration efficiency, while cotton masks filtered only about 25% of particles; one mask also shed tiny dendrite structures similar in size to its nanoscale fibers.
Microscopy of Woven and Nonwoven Face Covering Materials: Implications for Particle Filtration
Researchers used visible light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and micro-X-ray computed tomography to characterize fiber diameter distributions, fabric thickness, and solid volume fractions across woven natural and synthetic fabrics and nonwoven filtration layers from surgical masks and N95 respirators, finding nonwoven materials exhibit a positively skewed fiber diameter distribution with a mean of approximately 3 micrometers.
Study of Surface Morphology and Effectiveness of Common Nasopharyngeal Masks: A Case of Kathmandu, Nepal
Researchers tested 38 face masks — including cloth masks, surgical masks, and N95 respirators — against PM10 and PM2.5 particles using a mannequin head setup in Kathmandu, Nepal, finding significant variation in filtration efficiency among mask types. The study provides practical guidance on mask effectiveness for particulate matter protection in real-world conditions.
Guidelines for measuring and reporting particle removal efficiency in fibrous media
This paper is not about microplastics in the primary research sense; it provides methodology guidelines for accurately measuring particle removal efficiency in fibrous filtration materials, recommending standardized aerosol science approaches for researchers developing new air filtration media.
A Review of the Fabrication Methods, Testing, and Performance of Face Masks
This review covered the fabrication methods, filtration performance, comfort characteristics, and certification standards of face masks and respirators, with particular attention to developments during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors identified trade-offs between filtration efficiency, breathability, and user comfort across different mask types and materials.
Aerosol Filtration Testing of Fabrics for Development of Reusable Face Masks
Researchers tested the aerosol filtration performance of over 300 fabrics and layered fabric combinations for use as reusable face masks, finding that layered materials and hydrophobic coatings significantly improve filtration efficiency while maintaining breathability. The work provides practical guidance for designing effective non-disposable masks — an important consideration given that disposable mask waste, including microplastic-releasing synthetic fibers, became a major pollution concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An overview of filtration efficiency through the masks: Mechanisms of the aerosols penetration
Researchers reviewed how different types of face masks filter airborne particles — including viral droplets and pollution aerosols — examining the physical and chemical mechanisms that govern how tiny particles penetrate mask layers under varying environmental conditions. The review finds that no single mask design is optimal for all aerosol sizes and conditions, and that better filtration requires understanding the interplay of particle size, humidity, and mask construction.
Viruses and Their Penetration Through Fibrous Structures: a Review
This review examines how viruses interact with and penetrate fibrous structures such as face masks and respirators, analyzing the filtration mechanisms and material properties that determine the protective efficacy of textile barriers against airborne viral transmission.
Different Type of Face Masks and Their Protection Against Covid-19
This review examined the protective effectiveness of different face mask types against COVID-19. While focused on masks as infection control, surgical and N95 masks are a significant source of microplastic fibers released into the environment during use and disposal.
Particles and fragments in unused disposable face masks: A microscopic analysis
Researchers microscopically examined commercially available surgical masks and found particles and fragments in the 2–40 micrometer range on fiber surfaces inside all masks tested, raising questions about whether mask wearers may inhale these microplastic-sized particles.
Development of reusable cloth mask with nanoparticle filtration efficiency greater than 95%
Researchers developed a reusable cloth mask with nanoparticle filtration efficiency greater than 95%, motivated by the environmental concerns of single-use surgical and respirator masks that shed microplastic fibers, evaluating the novel mask material's filtration performance against respiratory droplets and particulates.
Evaluation of Fiber and Debris Release from Protective COVID-19 Mask Textiles and in Vitro Acute Cytotoxicity Effects.
Researchers quantified fiber and particle debris released from textile-based face masks and surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic using both liquid and air extraction methods, finding that cotton-based textiles released up to 29,452 fibers per gram under liquid extraction while synthetic textiles released up to 1,030 fibers per gram. The study assessed the potential for inhaled mask debris to cause acute cytotoxic effects, raising questions about respiratory health implications of prolonged mask wear.
Need for Assessing the Inhalation of Micro(nano)plastic Debris Shed from Masks, Respirators, and Home-Made Face Coverings During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers raised concerns about potential inhalation of micro- and nanoplastic particles shed from face masks and respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a gap in existing quality standards. They called for regulatory attention to respirable plastic debris from protective equipment.
A Novel Face Masks and it’s Utility during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Review
This review examines the technical specifications, materials, and engineering advances of face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic, including both commercial and homemade options. Researchers discuss the environmental impact of disposable masks, noting that their widespread use has contributed to microplastic pollution as mask materials degrade. The study highlights the need for mask designs that balance effective viral protection with reduced environmental contamination.
Mask material: challenges and virucidal properties as an effective solution against coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
This review examines the filtration efficiency, breathability, and virucidal properties of different mask materials against SARS-CoV-2, finding that cotton mask performance improves with higher thread count and more layers but at a cost to breathability.
COVID-19: Performance study of microplastic inhalation risk posed by wearing masks
Researchers tested how different types of face masks affect the risk of inhaling microplastics during breathing. They found that while masks generally reduce exposure to granular microplastics, surgical, cotton, and activated carbon masks can increase fiber-like microplastic inhalation, and reusing disinfected masks raises particle exposure further. N95 masks offered the best protection, reducing spherical microplastic inhalation risk by over 25 times compared to wearing no mask.
Evaluation of the leaching of microplastics from discarded medical masks in aquatic environments: a case study of Mashhad city
Researchers tested ten brands of COVID-19 face masks for microplastic release in water, finding that N95 masks shed the most particles due to their heavier construction, with fibers being the most common shape released. The findings highlight that the billions of disposable masks used globally each month represent a significant and growing source of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.
Effectiveness of Inexpensive Cloth Facemasks and Their Amendments to Reduce Ambient Particulate Exposures: A Case of Kathmandu, Nepal
This study tested multiple types of inexpensive cloth face masks under controlled airflow conditions in Kathmandu, Nepal and found wide variation in particulate matter filtration efficiency across mask types, with multilayer and tightly woven designs performing best for reducing ambient particle inhalation.
A Critical Review on Reusable Face Coverings: Mechanism, Development, Factors, and Challenges
This review evaluated reusable face coverings as alternatives to disposable masks, examining filtration mechanisms, material developments, and key challenges including microplastic fiber shedding from textile-based coverings during use and washing.
What We Are Learning from COVID-19 for Respiratory Protection: Contemporary and Emerging Issues
This review examines lessons from COVID-19 for respiratory protection, analyzing how the pandemic revealed limitations in mask design, supply chains, and risk communication, while driving innovation in filtration materials including electrospun nanofiber membranes that shed microplastics.
Face masks and respirators: Towards sustainable materials and technologies to overcome the shortcomings and challenges
This review examines the limitations of current face masks and respirators, including low filtration efficiency and non-biodegradability, and explores sustainable materials and emerging technologies such as nanofibers and biodegradable polymers to address these shortcomings.
Comparative evaluation of filtration and imaging properties of analytical filters for microplastic capture and analysis
Researchers compared five analytical filter types for microplastic capture and analysis, evaluating their filtration efficiency and imaging properties to help standardize methods and improve the reliability of microplastic quantification across laboratories.
A Review of the Sampling, Analysis, and Identification Techniques of Microplastics in the Air: Insights into PM2.5 and PM10
This review systematically compared methods for sampling, analyzing, and identifying microplastics in air, with special focus on the PM2.5 and PM10 fine particle fractions that are most relevant to human respiratory health. The paper identifies key gaps and recommends standardized protocols to improve comparability of airborne microplastic research.
Electrospun nanofiber-based respiratory face masks—a review
Researchers reviewed advances in face mask materials during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on electrospun nanofiber membranes with nano-sized pores that offer high filtration efficiency at low weight, and highlighting the integration of metal-organic frameworks, graphene, and 3D-printing as pathways to multifunctional and reusable mask designs.