The face mask is being upgraded to high tech.
Models that are now being tested do much more than provide a physical barrier between the user and potential viruses. Materials scientists, chemists, biologists and engineers have created prototypes of work masks that include diagnostics, sensors and even the ability to to kill virus.
In the near future, if you go on a plane and the person next to you sneezes, you could wear a mask that sterilizes the air before you breathe it.
Some of these new masks are designed for healthcare workers, while others will be marketed to both healthcare workers and consumers. Masks and respirators marketed as medical devices or as worker protection must be approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration or the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (Niosh). (Respirators are masks that provide an airtight seal on the face, such as the N95, and must be suitable to provide your ideal protection.)
“I’m excited about the attention paid to masks,” says Christopher Sulmonte, project manager for Johns Hopkins Medicine’s biocontainment unit. The new ideas “have some scientific rigor,” he says. “Once we see how they work, we’ll start to see which tools make the most sense.”