N95 mask were designed for hazardous environments such as hospitals and certain industrial environments. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), however, has never tested them for use in children’s environments. The website warns that claims that a mask for children has been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is a red flag that the mask is fake.
However, Covid-19 is a time when children are just as vulnerable as everyone else. Companies like Aegle, an American N95 manufacturer, are working to fill this supply gap.
Andy Moy, CEO at Aegle, says that “we realized there was not a need for children’s masks before the corona pandemic — there were no children in hospitals or industrial settings.” “But, while we cannot use the NIOSH approval for masks that are child-sized, we can still use the same materials to make them.”
It is more difficult than it sounds. Contrary to the simple, inexpensive, cloth masks that were used in the pandemic’s early days, which could be made at home by laypeople, the N95 construction is complex and multi-step. Aegle also built completely new machines and partnered with Maryland University to solve the unique challenges of fitting a medical N95 mask to the face of a small child.
Moy stated that children have different faces and they want the mask to be more comfortable. We knew that kids were going to be fiddling with the mask a lot so we made sure to create a mask they would love to keep.
For years, mask comfort has been a barrier to effective public safety. But the problem is double for children who are more likely to feel uncomfortable and less disciplined than adults.
Moy stated that “To reduce the size of masks, all automation must change.” “The machines that we made are coming in from Korea next week. A foldable will be made for children aged 2-7 years old, then a boat-style model will be created.
“We should begin producing by February end, the end of the month,” he told.
The masks won’t be approved by NIOSH, but they will be manufactured with the same machines and tested internally by Aegle in exactly the same manner — and monitored using the same anti-counterfeit technology Aegle uses for all its packaged masks. Counterfeit masks on Amazon have been a problem throughout the pandemic. Aegle is working with smartphones and modern technology to address this issue.
Moy demonstrated how each Aegle Mask package can be electronically tracked by demonstrating its NFC chip. It’s the same technology that you use to tap your gas station card. With our app, you can tap on a package to authenticate it. Each package has its own ID number. All the authentication submitted to NIOSH can be viewed.
He added, “We also include Third-Party Testing.”
The five-layer masks will be made of the same non-woven materials as their N95s, and they will contain five layers. The biggest thing is that now children will have more secure masks to wear. It will give them an extra layer of protection against corona and similar viruses. Interestingly adult has many options including N95, KN95 masks, and much more but children have none of these options.
