Delhi Smog: Your guide to buying the best pollution mask

Since theday after Diwali, the Delhi Smog has been a constant in the city. According toexperts, the pollution is here to stay for another week and due to the lack ofwind and precipitation there is no sign of respite.

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Mostoffices are still open, leaving no option for employees to evade the alarmingair pollution. In such a scenario, it will be wise for a person to use specialair-pollution masks if at all they need to venture out of their houses.

Handkerchiefs:

Most commonly sighted on Indian roads, the handkerchiefmight be seem like an filter but it hardly filters the hazardous PM10 and PM2.5particles in the air.

Surgical masks:

The next most accessible and cheap optionwould be a surgical mask. These masks are essentially made for medical purposesbut are not designed to stop fine particulate matter. They offer certain helpbut shouldn't be considered as an alternative to a proper air-pollution mask.They can be effective in filtering around 60 per cent of the particulatematter.

Disposable respirators:

These masks are not only an effectiveagent against air-pollution also provide protection against a few air-bornediseases.  These masks are slightlyexpesnsive than surgical masks but offer much better functionality. The masksare required to be replaced after a few days of usage.

The masksare available in N95 and N99 variants which are degrees of filtration. Theserespirators are designed to offer maximum protection without hampering thebreathing pace. The disposable respirators offer around 95 per cent protectionagainst air-pollution.

Reusable respirators:

These respirators are made for longterm usage and are much more expensive than the disposable ones. Therespirators come with a sheet of activated carbon and a replaceable filter thatare to be replaced in every 3-4 days of general use.

While allthese options are generally available in the market, there is a sudden shortagein supply due to an unprecedented demand. Interested buyers can still buy theproducts on e-commerce websites like Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon.

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