Given that poor air quality has been present for such a long time and remains a concern, there are new considerations for the effectiveness and use of the P2 facemasks and with school holidays nearing the end, parents are questioning what to do with their children when the air quality is still poor.

ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

3M Tech Update: Children and P2/N95 Respirators

With school holidays nearing the end, parents are questioning what to do with their children when the air quality is still poor.

Does 3M have a P2 or N95 respirator for children in Australia & New Zealand?

Dear Valued 3M Channel Partner,

As previously communicated, 3M is seeing very high demand for respiratory protection products due to the outbreak of a newly identified novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In response, 3M is increasing respirator production and is working with 3M authorized channel partners to help ensure they have inventory to meet end-user demand. We remain committed to the balanced distribution of product so that your domestic industrial customers can receive the 3M respiratory protection products they have chosen to rely on to help facilitate their day-to-day operations.

3M P2 Respirators Update

Comfort Masks:

• Are not designed to protect your lungs from airborne hazards.
• Do not have the word NIOSH and the approval type (i.e. N95/P2) printed on the product.
• Are not cleared by the FDA for use as a surgical mask.
• Have not been tested to any government performance standards for filtration.
• Usually have only 1 head strap.
• Do not fit tightly to the face - there might be gaps around the edges.

Key Differences Between Respirators and Masks

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Using proper cleaning and storage practices ensures that respirators remain effective and uncontaminated.

Common mistakes that limit the effectiveness of respirators.

1. Upon returning from the field on a hot and humid day, a worker haphazardly removes the personal protective clothing. The worker pulls off the respirator and hangs it on a nail in the barn, next to a pesticide container.
2. Rather than taking the time to put the respirator away, a worker tosses it on the dashboard of the truck. The truck is parked in a very sunny spot.
3. A respirator is in an enclosed cab. The cartridge is inside the sleeve of a plastic glove. The respirator has been there for two months.

Respirators should be stored away from dust, sunlight, heat, extreme cold, excessive moisture and damaging chemicals. Respirators, a piece of personal protective equipment (PPE), must be stored away from personal clothing and pesticide-contaminated areas.

European Union Export Restrictions and 3M Product Availability Update re: 2019 Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19

Dear Valued Customer,

On March 15th, the European Union introduced export authorization requirements for exports of certain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) outside of the European Union in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The regulation is (EU) 2020/402 and is initially effective for a six-week period but could be extended. This regulation will be enacted by each country’s customs authority which will establish a process for receiving export licenses from EU to other countries.

This new regulation will likely impact 3M’s ability to supply certain Personal Protective Equipment sourced from our manufacturing operations in the European Union to customers in non-European Union countries.

3M Technical Bulletin

Filtering facepiece respirators (FFR), which are sometimes called disposable respirators, are subject to various regulatory standards around the world. These standards specify certain required physical properties and performance characteristics in order for respirators to claim compliance with the particular standard. During pandemic or emergency situations, health authorities often reference these standards when making respirator recommendations, stating, for example, that certain populations should use an "N95, FFP2, or equivalent" respirator.

This document is only intended to help clarify some key similarities between such references, specifically to the following FFR performance standards:

Wearing masks will be made compulsory for people out in public in coronavirus-hit Melbourne and the adjacent Mitchell Shire from 11:59pm on Wednesday 22/07/2020.

Here's what we know about the new rules.

From Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton.

To help slow the increase in transmission of coronavirus, people living in and visiting metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire are required to wear a face covering whenever they leave home. If you live outside metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire – we recommend you wear a face covering when it’s difficult to keep 1.5 metres apart from others.

Face coverings provide an additional barrier to coronavirus.

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