N95, KN95, FFP2, P2 respirator face masks, what are their differences?
What are the N95, KNP5, FFP2, P2 ?
First of all, these are the standards of masks, not the brand of a certain mask, not the model of a certain mask, not the function of a certain mask, but the standard of a mask, which is a standard !
Different face mask standards in the world currently:
- N95 (United States NIOSH-42CFR84)
- FFP2 (Europe EN149-2001)
- KN95 (ChinaGB2626-2006)
- P2 (Australia/New Zealand AS/NZA1716:2012)
- Korea 1st class (Korea KMOEL -2017-64)
- DS (Japan JMHLW-Notification 214,2018)
What does these standards stand for ?
|
Certification/ Class (Standard) |
N95 (NIOSH-42C FR84) |
FFP2 (EN 149-2001) |
KN95 (GB2626-20 06) |
P2 (AS/NZ 1716:2012) |
Korea 1st Class (KMOEL – 2017-64) | DS (Japan JMHLW-
Notification 214, 2018) |
| Filter performance – (must be ≥ X% efficient) | ≥ 95% | ≥ 94% | ≥ 95% | ≥ 94% | ≥ 94% | ≥ 95% |
| Test agent | NaCl | NaCl and paraffin oil | NaCl | NaCl | NaCl and paraffin oil | NaCl |
| Flow rate | 85 L/min | 95 L/min | 85 L/min | 95 L/min | 95 L/min | 85 L/min |
| Total inward leakage (TIL)* – tested on human subjects each performing exercises | N/A | ≤ 8% leakage (arithmetic mean) | ≤ 8% leakage (arithmetic mean) | ≤ 8% leakage (individual and arithmetic mean) | ≤ 8% leakage (arithmetic mean) | Inward Leakage measured and included in User Instructions |
| Inhalation resistance – max pressure drop | ≤ 343 Pa | ≤ 70 Pa (at 30 L/min)
≤ 240 Pa (at 95 L/min) ≤ 500 Pa (clogging) |
≤ 350 Pa | ≤ 70 Pa (at 30 L/min)
≤ 240 Pa (at 95 L/min) |
≤ 70 Pa (at 30 L/min)
≤ 240 Pa (at 95 L/min) |
≤ 70 Pa (w/valve)
≤ 50 Pa (no valve) |
| Flow rate | 85 L/min | Varied – see above | 85 L/min | Varied – see above | Varied – see above | 40 L/min |
| Exhalation resistance – max pressure drop | ≤ 245 Pa | ≤ 300 Pa | ≤ 250 Pa | ≤ 120 Pa | ≤ 300 Pa | ≤ 70 Pa (w/valve)
≤ 50 Pa (no valve) |
| Flow rate | 85 L/min | 160 L/min | 85 L/min | 85 L/min | 160 L/min | 40 L/min |
| Exhalation valve leakage requirement | Leak rate ≤ 30 mL/min | N/A | Depressurizatio n to 0 Pa ≥ 20 sec | Leak rate ≤ 30 mL/min | visual inspection after 300 L /min for 30 sec | Depressurizatio n to 0 Pa ≥ 15 sec |
| Force applied | -245 Pa | N/A | -1180 Pa | -250 Pa | N/A | -1,470 Pa |
| CO2 clearance requirement | N/A | ≤ 1% | ≤ 1% | ≤ 1% | ≤ 1% | ≤ 1% |
Definitions
Filter performance – the filter is evaluated to measure the reduction in concentrations of specific aerosols in air that passes through the filter.
Test agent – the aerosol that is generated during the filter performance test.
Total inward leakage (TIL) – the amount of a specific aerosol that enters the tested respirator facepiece via both filter penetration and faceseal leakage, while a wearer performs a series of exercises in a test chamber.
Inward leakage (IL)– the amount of a specific aerosol that enters the tested respirator facepiece, while a wearer performs a normal breathing for 3 minutes in a test chamber. The test aerosol size (count median diameter) is about 0.5 micro meter.
Pressure drop – the resistance air is subjected to as it moves through a medium, such as a respirator filter.
Based above table, it is reasonable to consider China KN95, AS/NZ P2, Korea 1st Class, and Japan DS FFRs as “equivalent” to US NIOSH N95 and European FFP2 respirators, for filtering non-oil-based particles such as those resulting from wildfires, PM 2.5 air pollution, volcanic eruptions, or bioaerosols (e.g. viruses). However, prior to selecting a respirator, users should consult their local respiratory protection regulations and requirements or check with their local public health authorities for selection guidance.
Reference document: https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1791500O/comparison-ffp2-kn95-n95-filtering-facepiece-respirator-classes-tb.pdf
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