Everything You Need to Know About FFP1 Breathing Protection Equipment

1. Everything You Need to Know About FFP1 Breathing Protection Equipment FFP1 is one of the three categories of filtering facepiece particles and among the most basic breathing protection equipment in the market. It is a half-mask that covers the nose, mouth, and chin. Is it worth buying FFP1? How does it protect you from viruses as compared to other respiratory protection masks? When it comes to FFP classifications, the higher the number, the better the protection. While FFP1 seems to provide the least protection among the three, it is still better than a basic surgical mask. It can protect you against large, solid particles such as dust, cement, and pollen that may not be harmful but may cause irritation. It has a minimum filter efficiency of 78%. FFP1 is a good option if used as a dust mask. The pros: The FFP1 face mask is more affordable than FFP2 and FFP3 as it contains the least amount of filtering materials.  It reduces the amount of dust by 4. Thus, it is still a great option to protect you against lung diseases caused by dust like silicosis, anthracosis, siderosis, and asbestosis.  It can block aerosol and small water droplets, which often contain most of the virus.  An additional exhalation valve is not needed because this mask does not make breathing difficult for the wearer the way FFP2 and FPP3 masks do.  The biggest downside of this respirator mask is that it only protects the wearer and not the people surrounding him or her, so it is not advisable for those who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. This mask also has an internal leak rate of 22%. Respiratory protection is very important, especially today when cases of COVID-19 are still on the rise. If your work and lifestyle requires you to spend most of your day outside your home and interact with different people, it is recommended to use a higher-grade respiratory mask with a better filtration system to protect yourself and the people around you.