What is an N95 Face Mask?

With face masks becoming commonplace overnight, many people have questions regarding what different mask classifications mean. An N95 face mask is specific type of face covering, designed to meet particular standards regarding particle filtration and fit. The use of an N95 respirator is one way to protect yourself from potentially harmful particles in the air, when used properly.

Per the Food and Drug Administrations’ website,

“An N95 respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles. Note that the edges of the respirator are designed to form a seal around the nose and mouth.”

Further detail is available from the Center for Disease Control website:

“An N95 FFR is a type of respirator which removes particles from the air that are breathed through it. These respirators filter out at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) particles. N95 FFRs are capable of filtering out all types of particles, including bacteria and viruses.”

Any approved N95 face mask is designed for a single-use, though shortages in the necessary FDA-approved masks have led to emergency approval of processes to decontaminate these masks to be reused.

This early shortage was also a key to the launch of Connecticut BioTech in 2020. Upon recognition of the pandemic and the limitations of the initial available supply of N95 face masks, Connecticut BioTech was launched and began producing our Secure Fit mask frames. These mask frames were developed by University of Connecticut researchers to help eliminate gaps in surgical or cloth face masks, helping them to perform similarly to N95-rated masks.

Now, Connecticut BioTech has expanded our product lines to offer two types of N95 face mask to the general public.

One is a standard N95 filtering face piece respirator, available in both head loop and ear loop construction. These masks are certified to meet the N95 standards by the appropriate authorities in India as well as the European Union, with FDA Emergency Use Authorization pending due to the enormous backlog in applications. These masks have been independently tested by Nelson Labs in the United States to meet the standard set forth by the FDA.

The other is a NIOSH-approved N95 mask, which bears full FDA approval. The main difference between the two is the NIOSH approval, which indicates that the facility the masks are manufactured has been reviewed and approved to meet the standards for quality and safety required.

Both are outstanding products that Connecticut BioTech is pleased to offer our customers. While no face mask bears any kind of guarantee for user safety, these products are designed to meet the same standards that have made them so desirable for front-line medical workers.

Visit https://store.ctbiotech.com/ to view all our products, and please contact us if you represent a medical or residential care facility in need of a price quote for larger quantities.