Face Masks to Combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Processing, Roles, Requirements, Efficacy, Risk and Sustainability

Face Masks to Combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Processing, Roles, Requirements, Efficacy, Risk and Sustainability    

Rahman MZ, Hoque ME, Alam MR, Rouf MA, Khan SI, Xu H, Ramakrishna S. Face Masks to Combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Processing, Roles, Requirements, Efficacy, Risk and Sustainability. Polymers (Basel). 

2022 Mar 23;14(7):1296. doi: 10.3390/polym14071296. PMID: 35406172; PMCID: PMC9003287.

ABSTRACT: 

Increasingly prevalent respiratory infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19) have posed severe threats to public health. Viruses including coronavirus, influenza, and so on can cause respiratory infections. A pandemic may potentially emerge owing to the worldwide spread of the virus through persistent human-to-human transmission. However, transmission pathways may vary; respiratory droplets or airborne virus-carrying particles can have a key role in transmitting infections to humans. In conjunction with social distancing, hand cleanliness, and other preventative measures, the use of face masks is considered to be another scientific approach to combat ubiquitous coronavirus. Different types of face masks are produced using a range of materials (e.g., polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyester and polyethylene) and manufacturing techniques (woven, knitted, and non-woven) that provide different levels of protection to the users. However, the efficacy and proper disposal/management of the used face masks, particularly the ones made of non-biodegradable polymers, pose great environmental concerns. This review compiles the recent advancements of face masks, covering their requirements, materials and techniques used, efficacy, challenges, risks, and sustainability towards further enhancement of the quality and performance of face masks.

AFFILIATIONS:

• 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), Dhaka 1208, Bangladesh.
• 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh.
• 3Department of Knitwear Manufacturing and Technology, BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT), Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh.
• 4Department of Biobased Materials Science, Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT), Matsugasaki Hashikamicho 1, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan.
• 5Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore 117575, Singapore.
• 
  

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