A great deal for the family this Christmas thanks to Sydney's current smoke problem, don't know how long it's going to last but stay protected. P2 Face Mask, Good brand and reliable and currently only $11.11 for a pack of 20.
CamelCamelCamel.
I think it's recommended to use them for a max of 8 hours.
If I recall correctly, it's recommended to only use respirator masks until they've become moist (and lose their effect) which could be a few hours to maybe half a day depending on you.
I used to use these in Singapore when there was significant haze from bushfires in Indonesia - even bought one with a little battery powered fan on it too, but honestly I don't know how effective they are.
So does their efficacy return when dried out?
Thanks. I've heard the brand is good for masks, and whilst I know they aren't perfect (no masks are), hopefully it helps.
Bought some already, well it's Honeywell it shouldn't be too bad without the 3M price tag.
Is it really necessary to use masks?
I mean… in other countries people lives with PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels much higher than ours for pretty much all year-round and I don'think they have any issues..
I am asking because I would like to understand, I am not trying to minimize the issue.
Ours is the worst in the world right now. Over twice as worse as the next country. https://aqicn.org/rankings/
is there historical data showing last Saturday's index for Brisbane ?
Damn it Mexico! They just had to 1 up us
other countries may not beat sydney now.
When was the last time something like this happened in Sydney? There are a lot of pollutants in the air at the moment.
You can live in it its just not very good for you.
You'll most likely find those countries will have higher levels of respiratory issues
It was 600+ in PM 2.5 scale around 2pm today near Rozelle. Beats Beijing n some parts of India :(
They do.
Millions of people die from pollution related illnesses. When the AQI is 150-250 day in and day out, it probably just takes a long time for the effects to accumulate.
Parts of Sydney exceeded 2000 today and some parts were still over 1600 when I last checked.
Yes they certainly do but what I am trying to understand is whether a month or two of exposure can impact us.
If you suffer from allergies or breathing issues then it certainly would have an affect.
If your job is spending a lot of time outdoors then it's probably not ideal either.
However, if you've got a clean bill of health and probably won't be spending ages outside everyday then perhaps it won't be such a problem. As someone who suffers from allergies and when I know the air is really bad I'll do my best to avoid going outside especially when we've had super bad bushfires during the summer because I have noticed a difference in breathing during that time.
@pikapika: Thanks for the reply.
No allergies for me, work is 60% office and 40% site. Honestly I don't think this would affect me much but I'm doing some research to see if I'm wrong.
@ets27: ABC news has articles about the problem happening in Sydney now and if you need a mask. It's all pointing towards yes but it needs to be a very good fit otherwise it's pointless.
If I was there I'd be getting one even if I didn't have allergies tbh. Better to be safe especially with how bad the air quality is.
It doesn't necessarily affect healthy people, they might have some impairment in breathing but they should recover just fine. People with asthma, lung and breathing difficulties are at risk as well as young babies/children and the elderly. I can't remember where the study was done but during times of high pollution the number of ER presentations in general is higher and the rate of mortality in general is also higher.
@ENSLAVER: It can turn healthy people into sick people. Pm2.5 particles can get lodged into lung tissue. Reaction depends on what specific chemicals the particulates contain - nothing good when it's from smoke.
I believe so, I think that's my story, so better be safe than sorry.
Years ago I lived in China for a bit, it's where I considered 100 AQI to be very good. Ended up with lung infections, hospital visits, etc. I never had problems with my lungs before but ever since then it's never the same, sometimes I have a simple cold and it'd last for months.
Never thought this would happen to Sydney so it was painful for me to wake up with the smoke everywhere, really bad allergic reaction and even mild fever, pretty much had to leave Sydney to recover.
One day or two, even a week probably won't do much, but a month or two? It doesn't hurt to wear a mask. I'd recommend an air purifier too.
Yes they do and they die early. Pm2.5 particulates can lodge in your lung tissue and will stay there for life because of their minute size. Much like asbestos. The more exposure, the higher likelihood of damage. It's really up to you - don't wear one if you want to stuff up your lungs.
I don'think they have any issues..
You couldn't be more wrong. This pollution causes deaths, that's why they're regulated in the first place. People are dead in Sydney that would not have been dead if something had been done about climate change.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-canc…
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health
In Asia, it's common for people to wear masks.
Do these fit properly and form a seal? Its hard to tell from the photo.
It does look like it conforms well to the face.. will try it and find out.
Of course not.
it looks like it has 2 straps, which looks like the ones in how-to-deal-with-smoke PDF from gov site i googled earlier. Should be the minimum to do the trick.
Thanks! Ordered 3 for family. Don't think there are any in stock in Sydney CBD.
Each one is a pack of 20 fyi.
I could be wrong but I thought those mask were for dust rather than smoke, I suppose it's better than nothing
A P2 rated mask will work to filter out contaminants
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/12/masks-smoke-bushfires-…
Smoke consists of gases and particulate matter. This filters out 95% of particulates, which is good but substantially lower efficacy than n99 (99%) or hepa filters (99.97% of pm0.3).
brb gonna vacuum the air
Wow, these are heaps cheap. I just went a bought a pack of 20 without valve for $50 at Bunnings cos it was really bad at work today.
Had to run to two different Bunnings to even find P2 masks in stock.
ones without valve dont work im afriad… go refund them
Where'd you hear that? Pretty sure as long as it's P2 rated and you've fit it properly it'll help. The valved ones allow better airflow and thus doesn't get as hot and uncomfortable.
The valve is what allows air to pass through filtered. With no valve how can you achieve total seal AND get fresh air in?
@Jaduqimon: That's not what I'm seeing when looking it up. The mask material doesn't block out air from entering but filters out the particulate matter from the air. The valve gives better air circulation so it isn't so stuffy.
@Jaduqimon: What? The valve lets you breathe out more easily. Breathing in goes through the filter material. If the valve let you breathe in, the mask would be useless.
Wrong. The valve allows air out. It doesn't allow air in. It assist in fogging & allows easier breathing.
Mate, get the valved one. You'll choke to death from your own CO2 if you wear those unvalved ones for 8 hours.
Yeah, I ordered a pack of these.
Just needed to get something to use today because somebody took the pack we already had at work.
Don't know why this got negged.. you don't want to rebreathe in the same air your expelling..
Because I said 'choke to death' which isn't necessarily true but breathing out without a valve is just gross and more difficult.
As I say, "They won't spend a dime on you when you're alive, but will waste millions when you're dead!"
and majority started by arsonists…
And poor forest/bush management is a result of the weather being too hot to perform back burning..
And not enough experienced fire risk managers to actually carry out back burning due to funding cuts
#BerejiklianBushfires
I don't see why this justifies a neg for a decent deal on a general purpose mask… I'm in SA, I need this for fixing my drywall…. Perfect deal for what I need.
Fair enough. I just don't think we should be scrambling for masks in Sydney when there is a clear and present health risk from the smoke. Government has a role to play here.
Go forth and get your representative to fix this. Yes, we'll all be cheering you on (whilst wearing a mask just in case)…
I didn't disagree(or neg) you for having a justified opinion, I just though negging the mask itself was unfair, the fact that this bushfire situation is a sh*tshow and health risks are present was correct. Sadly I can't say I have the answers…..
Not sure what this has to do with me needing masks for sanding..?
You're talking to a population of brainwashed idiots that have been told climate change doesn't exist and pollution isn't killing them. They call this propaganda news.
Some of the idiots still haven't worked out that the media lied to them about Iraq 17 years later. But the one's that have worked that out have no standards and just keep watching the propaganda or what they call news.
Stay at home, use them sickies! Use that Ozbargain air purifiers! Breathing crap isn't worth it!
LOL. The unreality you people live in is incredible. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/sydney-smoke-infiltra…
Lucky people who invested in Air purifiers.
No thats wrong.
If you have something that measures 2.5pm, it will definitely be lower indoors, how much depends on the air quality outside. Obviously if you open all your doors and windows, the difference might not be that much.
Its not a solution, but its an improvement, which is particularly important to people that are particularly sensitive to it.
Air quality won't magically improve in a few days.
the amount of people i've seen going for walks today with no protection amazes me… stuff that… i'd rather look like an idiot… or just stay inside if possible.
think i'll pick these up as they're probably better than the ones i'm using currently
I've used one of these before in bushfire smoke and it's worked out quite well when the fan is on full blast. Still pricey though :/
Mate, we're not joining Hydra.
Well your no fun :(
His no fun is no fun
Surprised to see a deal that is only 10% off normal price get this many votes. P2 should filter out some of the bad particles in the air but without a carbon filter, you will still get the smoke smell.
Compared to locally available P2 masks on officeworks / bunnings, this is also alot cheaper (and they are all sold out now). Yes, having a carbon filter is better to absorb nuisance levels of organic vapours and acid gases but it's the small particulates (PM2.5) which is the concern from the bushfire smoke.
It's not only 10% - that is the latest discount, on top of Amazon price that is already the lowest by a large margin.
These masks are going around $40-$50 per 20 pack at most hardware and safety equipment stores.
Any discount is a good discount. Just remember no one is obliged to give a discount.
Cheers OP, grabbed the 20 pack. Enough for the family and the few colleagues at work I actually like :p
Thanks purchased
Probably as effective as freezing jeans.
These bushfires are caused by climate change-exacerbated drought, folks. And Australia doesn't have a plan or a policy to cope.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/old-hat-is…
Yes the country didn't look after itself before we came along.
(the idea of Aboriginals performing large scale burning off is beyond a farce)
There is evidence to suggest that the first humans to come to Australia around 50000 years ago actually decimated the flora (and fauna) which then consisted of many more species of tree, including large variants that did not cope well with the new interaction, including burn offs. The Australia that Europeans invaded was much changed from the land that the first nations that came here found.
Except the Green support burn offs. The problem is that the weather has been too warm for burn offs due to climate change
Alright I need a good laugh, I'd love to hear the logic on how this is the Green's fault.
If only there was some kind of machine I could interact with so that I could verify if a statement is factually correct, like books but searchable with a click of a button… ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, last time we had a Greens majority government and Prime Minister, it was a real disaster.
Arsonists, lack of resources, lack of support for risk reduction burning… and you know, mother nature.
Imagine getting a P2 mask for Christmas! What a time to be alive!
How good are bushfires?!
Small steps. Health first then the environment later.
Sure I heard some doctor on ABC News 24 say most paper masks are ineffective because you can't get a good enough seal around the face .
You might see me around Sydney wearing this- https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/norton-norton-spray-pain…
These do block smoke.. 50% that comes in via filer and the other 50% that gets sucked in via the gaps isn't filtered.. either way its better then nothing.
Doctors are talking about the standard paper mask that people use that only stops diseases and large partials
This is what the guy on TV said and it includes these type of masks- "Dr Richard Broome stated, "A P2 mask does filter out these particles, but is only effective if there is a good fit and an air-tight seal around the mouth and nose.”
Of course this mask will be better than nothing but don't expect total protection.
How long does the filter last ?
Disposable but each one should be 1-3 days when using outdoors heavily, longer if being temporarily a few times a day.
Scuba gear seals well.
I want a filter that sits in your mouth like a regulator, but lighter.
Let your lips make the seal.
Then you can either wear a nose-clip, or use a face-mask if the eyes need protection.
Just wear the scuba tube and mask, with the valved mask taped onto the end? At least you'd be safe :P.
Was looking at these but it doesn't seem to have the metal strip on the nose. How good is the fitment/seal on these?
Think they're as good/better as its contured around the nose, not like the ones at Bunnings that just generall over the nose and then need the metal to shape..
Thanks op ordered 2 of them, i hope 40 masks last long enough.
how long would this last for?