This is a Public Service Announcement to aid the affected population on what to use as a protection against the ill effects of the ongoing Ash Fall caused by the Phreatic Eruption of Taal Volcano.
Sa mga bibili ng face masks, wag po kayo bibili nung masks sa mga drugs stores na may blue and white sides, as shown below, dahil yun po ay masks against fluid contaminants, kaya hindi rin makakafilter ng dust particles.
Ang bilhin nyo po ay yung Dust Masks na may ratings na PM 2.5 or N95/N99.
The N95 and N99 masks are supposed to block 95% and 99% of PM2.5 – particulate matter of 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter (about 30 times lesser than the width of a human-hair strand).
You can buy
See the photo below for examples:
PM2.5 particles are a complex combination of pollutants as dust, pollen, smoke and mist. In this case, the ash from Taal Volcano can be considered PM2.5.
For those who were asking, sa mga hardwares po like Ace Hardware makakabili nung dust masks. Yan po ay dahil ang mga nasabing dust masks ay common na ginagamit sa mga construction areas.
CAUTION! This is very important.Bawal daw po sa bata at mga buntis ang N95/N99 na mask, kasi mahirap po huminga, so may risk ng suffocation sa mga kanila.
Alternatives
For those who find it hard to get a PM2.5 or N95/N99 mask, some netizens offer these advices. Pwede daw po ang basang bimpo para kahit papanonay masala yung mga dust particles. Look at the photo below for guide:
Another option according to the thairesidents.com
Taken from the FB post of Chuckie Dreyfus:
If you cannot find or buy N95 masks due to high demand, here is a very useful alternative:
You can put 2 layers of tissue between your face and a regular Dura mask. This improves the ability to filter tiny dust particles up to about 75 – 90%, almost the same as an N95 mask.
This option is also great for those who feel that N95 masks are very hard to breathe through all day and those who feel pain on their head and behind the ears when wearing an N95 mask. The Dura mask with two layers of tissue in between is very comfortable to wear with almost the same filter efficiency as the much more expensive and hard to find N95 mask.
