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Ultrafine Particle (UFP) Pollution MasksAs noted before, the most dangerous pollution to humans is man-made ("anthropogenic" pollution) due to industrial and vehicle emissions, which come in the form of ultrafine particles (UFP) of size less than 0.1 microns (μm or PM) or 100 nanometers in diameter, and which are mostly combustion byproducts and reactive. Ultrafine particles can enter the brain becauses they are so small. Our pollution masks are designed to deal with these particles. Larger particles generally do not enter the brain, and it's not easy for them to enter inside cells. The blood-brain barrier is extremely protective of the brain. Larger particles usually affect just the lungs and a few other organs in bulk. Ultrafine particles can affect all organs, as they can pass through cell membranes and the blood-brain barrier, and much more easily enter the bloodstream in the lungs, rather than just accumulating in the lungs. The most important organ is the brain, which is affected only by ultrafine particles, not PM 2.5 ones. You are your brain! Ultrafine particles are most likely to affect the very core of your existence, and that of the people you love. There are no government regulations for ultrafine particles! Government regulations are only for the much larger 2.5 PM and 10 PM particles, not for the 0.1 PM particles. For example, an N99 pollution mask filters 99% of airborne particles as measured by weight. It does not filter 99% of airborne particles by number of particles!! In other words, an N99 mask could be filtering out just a small percentage, not a high percentage, of particles by number! One particle of size 2.5 microns (2.5 PM) is equal to around 15,000 particles of size 100 nanometers, which is 0.1 microns (0.1 PM), in terms of weight. Many scientists have said that government regulators should come out with better standards and ratings which deal with filtering ultrafine particles by number of particles, instead of the current ratings by weight of particles filtered. An N99 pollution mask can protect you from allergens, lung and nose irritation, and biological pathogens, but ultrafine particles are a whole different matter! Most effects from ultrafine particles are not obvious immediately, but these particles are entering our bodies and adding up over time. Particle sizes within PM 2.5 have been shown to eventually cause problems with the heart, blood circulatory system, lungs, and other organs, thereby degrading health and reducing life expectance and quality of life. Effects include increasing plaque build up in veins, heart and circulatory ailments (cardiovascular), cancers, and organ failures. Lower birth weights have been shown statistically, and some effects may last for a lifetime. Smaller particles able to cross the blood brain barrier can interfere significantly with the functioning of the brain. Particles can also apparently travel from the nose and sinuses to the brain via the olfactory (smelling) nerve. Everybody is affected, but the old and the very young are affected even more. The effects on the brain are so serious that we have an entirely separate section on that. Particles of size 100 nanometers = 0.1 micron, PM 0.1, and smaller can pass through cell membranes and do the most damage. Diesel engines create huge numbers of particles around 100 nanometers in size. Current government emission standards are very inadequate at addressing health effects, but there is no solution except banning diesel engines, which is unlikely to happen. It has often been pointed out that the amount of pollution has been measured in terms of mass (weight). However, just one PM 10 radius particle is equal to a million 100 nanometer radius particles (of the same density and if spherical). A better measure should be the number of particles emitted in each range, not the mass quantity. It is clear enough to experts that governments are not adequately addressing the health issues of man made (anthropogenic) particulate pollution, but in today's economy and with all the money politics and revolving doors in the regulatory systems, it may not be politically good for some bureaucrats to push the issue, and a lot of the general consuming public will not care or will choose not to believe some things. As is often the case, you must protect yourself by being informed and not just following the herd mentality. Many studies focus on the increased number of deaths from pollution. Those are not so big. However, there are many levels of degradation of the body which are far short of death but which significantly reduce quality of life, which are more difficult to quantify and report on scientifically. Generally, for the best quality of life, well into old age, you should minimize your exposure to manmade particles, and do so persistently, day to day, month to month, and year to year. This is why we have striven to create the most comfortable face mask, which people are most likely to actually use day after day, and try to provide good quality replaceable filters for them.
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