Vinay Pathak shares tips on ho0w to pick the  right anti-pollution mask to beat the winter smog

Every year, as the winter approach, Northern India grapples with alarming dip in the air quality. Primary sources of pollutants include exhaust emission from Delhi NCRs millions of motor vehicles, crop burning in neighbouring regions and local construction dust. These particles or particulate matter, is what turns clean air into smog.

Particles in the air can reduce visibility and contribute to acid rain, which can damage vegetation. The particles can also discolor buildings, but the primary concern with particulate matter is what it can do to the human body. With air quality taking a serious dip and the increase in PM2.5 particles in the ambient air, it is important to understand the effectiveness of the masks you are wearing when it comes to filtering out particles as tiny as 1/4th of a hair strand.

There are several ways to help reduce exposure to air pollution, and it is essential to follow the advice of your local health authority or a national health agency. In general, the best way to protect yourself from air pollution is to try to avoid exposure, such as by staying indoors in clean air during periods of poor outside air quality. However, for officegoers, staying indoors is not an option and the daily commute to work is when the exposure to particulate matter is the highest.

Consumers have a variety of anti-pollution respirators in the market today and some of them maybe worse than helpful if people are falsely reassured and spend more time outside using a mask which doesn’t work.

One basic precaution is to use respiratory protection to help reduce exposure to the particulate matter in air pollution, although no respirator eliminates exposure completely.  To help reduce exposure to airborne particulate matter, it is very important to select an approved respirator and to follow the fitting instructions and user instructions carefully.

Some of the factors that you need to check before you select your respirator are:

• Opt for a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved N95 or EN approved Filtering Facepiece (FFP) 3 respirators for 95 per cent and above filtration of PM 2.5 particulate matter.
• A respirator marked FFP1 and FFP2 have a filtering efficiency of 80 per cent and 94 per cent respectively and can be used when the air quality is not severe or very poor.
• Loose-fitting masks (like gauze or surgical or comfort masks) are not considered respirators and do not provide much benefit in reducing exposure to airborne particles, because of the gaps that are present due to the loose fit
• Look out for the TC number on your respirator to find a genuine N95 respirator. Every authentic N95 (NIOSH approved) respirator will have a TC number which, when entered on the NIOSH website, will show you the certificate issued for that product.
• This respirator may be stored and re-used provided it is still in good working condition. If this respirator becomes damaged, soiled, or breathing becomes difficult, replace the respirator.
• If you wear spectacles, opt for a respirator with a valve and which is designed to prevent fogging.

Taking the right precautions during hours of exposure is the first step towards protecting yourself from the pollutants. Ensure that when you are choosing the respirator for yourself, you check for the genuine certificates and markings and the respirator that you use should fit snugly on the face without leaving any gaps.

The writer is an expert at 3M India