Where can I find a “general public” mask? How long to wear it?… Our answers to your questions

It is now official. Wearing a mask will be compulsory for all passengers on public transport, for the three weeks following the announced end of confinement on May 11, as well as for early childhood professionals and students from college, announced the Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Tuesday April 28, by revealing to the deputies the methods of leaving confinement.

Are “alternative” masks useful? Where to get them before May 11? How to wash them? Overview of the main questions raised by the wearing of the fabric mask.

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Cloth masks are mainly used to prevent the wearer from infecting those around them. When they follow the rules laid down by the French Association for Standardization (Afnor), these masks are able to stop between 70% and 90% of particles of 3 microns (3 thousandths of a millimeter) or more – which includes large droplets expelled by a sick mask wearer, droplets whose diameter is around 5 microns.

The approved fabric mask can also provide “some” “limited” protection to a healthy person who wears it against an infected person, notes Afnor. To date, however, the precise value of this level of protection remains unknown. The fabric mask, on the other hand, protects much less than the FFP2, reserved for healthcare personnel, which stops 94% of particles with a diameter of less than 0.6 microns (see our infographic on levels of protection at the end of the article).

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Since Monday April 27, pharmacies have the right to sell fabric masks. "Gradually, we will reach a classic situation, where the French will be able to obtain 'general public' masks in all shops without risk of shortage", declared the Prime Minister to the deputies. Some local authorities have also decided to distribute them to their inhabitants.

The Secretary of State for the Economy, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, recalled that the price of the surgical mask was capped at 95 cents and that the “recommended” price for reusable washable masks was “20 to 30 cents per washable use. ". According to Ms Pannier-Runacher, “200 million masks per week” should be available from Monday May 11, i.e. “100 million for health personnel, pharmacies” and “100 million for the general public”.

The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) indicates, in an opinion, that two types of fabric masks are available, depending on the public: "category 1" masks, intended for "professionals in contact with the public", such as "cashier staff and the police". These are capable of filtering 90% to 95% of the particles emitted by the wearer.

“Category 2” masks, known as “collective protection”, will be freely sold to the rest of the population. They filter, for their part, 70% to 80% of the particles emitted by the wearer. Their price is, at this stage, not framed, but their observed unit price fluctuates between 2 and 6 euros, depending on the model.

FFP2 and surgical masks remain reserved for healthcare personnel.

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Absolutely. Two designs of fabric masks offer the protection mentioned above – whatever the category of the mask: the “duckbill” shape and the “three-ply” shape, the patterns of which have been published on the Afnor website, whose mission is to develop and transcribe standards in France.

The making or the purchase of a fabric mask with a sagittal seam (vertical seam at the level of the nose and the mouth) is on the other hand prohibited, because of a “risk of leakage [of droplets of virus] by the seam », warns the association. Masks with staples are also not recommended, as these may constitute “a danger or a nuisance for the user”, she continues. Ditto for masks made of a single thickness of fabric, whatever it is.

The mask must be made in a flexible fabric, so that it follows the angles of the face well and thus guarantees a good seal. Its effectiveness (in terms of breathability and filtering) also varies greatly depending on the type of material it is made of.

If you would like to make your own, we invite you to consult the list of fabric combinations tested by the French Institute of Textiles and Clothing. For category 2 masks, it is thus possible to use a combination of three layers, alternating 150 g/m² cotton, 130 g/m² non-woven viscose and 150 g/m² cotton.

For category 1 masks, which require better filtration, it is also possible to use a combination of three layers, with 80 g/m² cotton, 115 g/m² fleece mesh and 80 silk weave. gsm. Conversely, some combinations of fabrics do not pass the tests, such as a mask made with two layers of 280 g/m² cotton jersey.

In the event that you buy your mask in the trade, it has in principle been made in accordance with Afnor instructions. Approved masks must indicate on the packaging the name of the supplier, the number of the rule in force for fabric masks (Afnor SPEC S76-001), the duration of use and the maintenance instructions. In the absence of these mentions, nothing guarantees the quality of the masks sold.

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Before putting on the mask – or removing it – you must wash your hands for at least twenty seconds. The mask is handled only by the elastics, never by the middle.

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It must also cover the area from the bump of the nose to below the chin, without yawning on the sides. A mask worn only at mouth level largely loses its effectiveness.

Jade Labrunye / The World

Especially not. Although these materials have an excellent filtering capacity, they are not made to be breathed in and are therefore "likely to release irritating substances into the inhaled air which may cause a risk of allergy (in particular severe asthma attacks) and / or toxicity”, warns Afnor.

Cloth masks must be changed at least every four hours, explains Afnor in its guide for manufacturers.

It is therefore necessary to count two to three cloth masks per person per day, in the case of a person working outside their home.

Cloth masks are designed to be reusable after thorough cleaning.

They must be put in the washing machine at 60°C for at least thirty minutes with your usual detergent. On the other hand, Afnor advises against adding a softener or a cleaning product other than your laundry: the residues that you could inhale while wearing the mask after washing could indeed be toxic. It is possible to add sheets or cotton towels, which also support these temperatures.

The standards association advises against air drying the mask alone. She invites wearers to iron the mask in addition to steam, "at a temperature that does not damage the fabric". Another option: use a dryer within two hours of washing the mask.

Afnor asks manufacturers to specify on the packaging the number of washing cycles that the mask can withstand without seeing its filtration power deteriorated. At a minimum, they must last at least five cycles.

“A hair dryer is not suitable for cleaning, warns the Standards Association. It can nevertheless be useful to finalize the drying of a barrier mask. But beware: poor control of the temperature level can degrade the filtering material, especially if it is heat-sensitive. Ditto for the iron: useful for “overdrying” your mask, useless, even dangerous, to clean it.

As for boiling water, it is also prohibited by Afnor, because a temperature of around 100°C can damage the fabric.

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