Unveiling the Investigation and Comfort Research in Various Scenarios of Mask Protection Equipment against Respiratory Transmission

Abstract

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is essential to protect medical staff (HCW) from highly infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and masks are indeed important functional small effective defensive equipment in safeguarding the public from infection. However, the thermal comfort, fit, and difficulty breathing when wearing a mask can affect its use and improve filtration efficiency. In addition, there is a lack of available research on thermal comfort, fit, and respiration of masks under actual wearing conditions. To this end, a questionnaire survey and thermal comfort evaluation were used to investigate the thermal comfort and breathing difficulties of 75 volunteers wearing masks in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. The results show that the main types of masks in various scenarios are medical masks. Except for the outdoors, the proportion of people who feel basic comfort and fit is the highest in these four areas. About a quarter of people experienced an average of 50-60 and 20-30 min of breathing difficulties in winter and summer, respectively. This study provides a systematic analysis and useful data for mask design and the development of human public health.