Medical masks without cotton material?
August 29, 2022 1:13 PM Subscribe
Hi. I am wondering if there are medical masks that are not made out of cotton material? This is due to a rare allergy. I have to wear a medical mask at my university this fall, but they require medical masks - it doesn't look like they will accept polyester made masks that are not medical.
I'm not aware of any cotton medical masks- both surgical masks and N95s, etc, are made from synthetic material.
posted by pinochiette at 1:24 PM on August 29, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by pinochiette at 1:24 PM on August 29, 2022 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: @pinochiette are you able to provide links to such masks without the cotton material? Because some have cotton lining.
posted by RearWindow at 1:26 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by RearWindow at 1:26 PM on August 29, 2022
I don't think it's even remotely common for surgical masks to have cotton linings. Here is an example.
posted by praemunire at 1:31 PM on August 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 1:31 PM on August 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: @nat - Good to know. Do you happen to have any links to the ones without cotton linings or hot air cotton material?
posted by RearWindow at 1:40 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by RearWindow at 1:40 PM on August 29, 2022
3M Aura masks don't list any cotton parts.
I'm sure the OP knows this but for others, "hot air cotton" is a fairly common component of the meltblown filter layers in masks - I don't think a cotton lining is common but an inner layer that contains some cotton is not unusual.
It would probably be helpful to know what your school's definition of a "medical" mask is.
posted by mskyle at 1:45 PM on August 29, 2022 [7 favorites]
I'm sure the OP knows this but for others, "hot air cotton" is a fairly common component of the meltblown filter layers in masks - I don't think a cotton lining is common but an inner layer that contains some cotton is not unusual.
It would probably be helpful to know what your school's definition of a "medical" mask is.
posted by mskyle at 1:45 PM on August 29, 2022 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: @ mskyle - that is a good question. It is rather broad as it states: All masks worn must be medical grade. The school will provide medical masks and KN95 masks it states.
posted by RearWindow at 1:51 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by RearWindow at 1:51 PM on August 29, 2022
These 3-layer procedure masks say "Masks are 3 layers ultrasonically welded together: 2 Spunbond Polypropylene layers outside; 1 Meltblown Polypropylene filter layer inside." They have other masks that appear to be all-polypropylene.
Likewise this company only lists polypropylene in its Surgical Grade Face Mask.
posted by mskyle at 2:00 PM on August 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
Likewise this company only lists polypropylene in its Surgical Grade Face Mask.
posted by mskyle at 2:00 PM on August 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
Does "hot air cotton" have any actual cotton in it? Or are manufacturers using "cotton" as a descriptor, kind of like "cotton candy?" Descriptions online are hard to parse. It seems like the stuff is entirely poly, but it's not definite, and a lot of stuff is the usual translated-into-gibberish garble.
Do you have a doctor you can ask for a steer? I know you said the allergy was rare, but there must be some people who have to wear masks for work who have that allergy and who have found workarounds.
posted by Don Pepino at 2:16 PM on August 29, 2022 [5 favorites]
Do you have a doctor you can ask for a steer? I know you said the allergy was rare, but there must be some people who have to wear masks for work who have that allergy and who have found workarounds.
posted by Don Pepino at 2:16 PM on August 29, 2022 [5 favorites]
Every description of "hot air cotton" I've been able to find characterizes it as "ES ethylene-propylene side-by-side", an extruded synthetic fiber. And if it's in a mask that's heat-sealed together, not glued or sewn, it's more than likely a synthetic.
A quick burn test will tell you if it's a synthetic fiber (melty) or a cellulose fiber (ash like burning paper) but won't distinguish cotton from rayon. And anyway it probably won't be rayon or genuine cotton because of rayon and other cellulose fibers' tendency to absorb a lot of moisture in a clammy, wet way rather than wicking moisture outward to evaporate.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 2:25 PM on August 29, 2022 [9 favorites]
A quick burn test will tell you if it's a synthetic fiber (melty) or a cellulose fiber (ash like burning paper) but won't distinguish cotton from rayon. And anyway it probably won't be rayon or genuine cotton because of rayon and other cellulose fibers' tendency to absorb a lot of moisture in a clammy, wet way rather than wicking moisture outward to evaporate.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 2:25 PM on August 29, 2022 [9 favorites]
These are the surgical masks I've gotten in the past, with an explanation on the page I linked that it's made from "three layers of what’s called non-woven fabric, which is basically fabric made from plastic."
posted by pinochiette at 3:54 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by pinochiette at 3:54 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Moldex N95 masks may not be intended for a medical context (or maybe they are, I don't know), but they _are_ real N95 masks. They have a woven texture but it's more springy and plasticky - it doesn't feel like cotton. I also really like their SmartStrap stuff. (I have these which reduce VOCs also)
posted by amtho at 4:01 PM on August 29, 2022
posted by amtho at 4:01 PM on August 29, 2022
"hot air cotton" is synthetic fiber and does not contain natural cotton:
Product Name：ES Hot Air Cotton
Alias: mask cotton, ES fiber cotton, filter cotton
Material: polyester fiber, low melting point fiber
Somehow, "cotton" has come to mean a type of material that does not actually contain any cotton.
I can't imagine any reason for actual cotton to show up in a medical mask. Cotton is hydrophilic and a medical mask with cotton fiber would get soggy and stop filtering pretty quickly.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:26 PM on August 29, 2022 [11 favorites]
Product Name：ES Hot Air Cotton
Alias: mask cotton, ES fiber cotton, filter cotton
Material: polyester fiber, low melting point fiber
Somehow, "cotton" has come to mean a type of material that does not actually contain any cotton.
I can't imagine any reason for actual cotton to show up in a medical mask. Cotton is hydrophilic and a medical mask with cotton fiber would get soggy and stop filtering pretty quickly.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:26 PM on August 29, 2022 [11 favorites]
The filter material in elastomeric masks is safe. I like the 3M and GVS masks, with the added bonus that they don’t create waste.
posted by Bottlecap at 5:01 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Bottlecap at 5:01 PM on August 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
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It also seems like you could get dispensation to wear a mask that contains no cotton, given your allergy; your university's accommodations office should be able to help.
posted by nat at 1:22 PM on August 29, 2022 [3 favorites]