Dental and KF Mask Combining Only the Advantages to Be Released

Supply of 'Bimal Blocking' Masks as Early as This Week
Easy to Breathe While Effectively Blocking Droplets

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] 'Anti-droplet masks,' which are as easy to breathe through as dental masks while also blocking droplets, will be available for sale as early as this week.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 2nd, health authorities will implement a notice titled "Emergency Supply Adjustment Measures for Masks and Hand Sanitizers" starting this month, adding anti-droplet masks to the existing categories of surgical and health masks as quasi-drugs.

Anti-droplet masks combine the advantages of dental masks and health masks. Due to increased demand for lightweight and breathable dental masks during the summer, they have been newly designated as quasi-drugs.

Yang Jin-young, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stated, "Anti-droplet masks have particle blocking capabilities almost identical to existing surgical masks, that is, about 55?80% according to the KF (Korea Filter) standard."

The new masks will use the label AD (Anti Droplet) after the KF mark, instead of numbers indicating the dust filtering rate (such as 94% in KF-94), to signify their function of blocking fine droplets, similar to existing health masks.

Anti-droplet masks will not be included in public sales. Deputy Director Yang said, "Applications for approval have already been submitted by 3 to 4 companies," and added, "They should be available for supply from around the end of this week."