Midwest Textiles, H&V improve face masks for public
May 14, 2020 - United States Of America
Midwest Textiles and Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V) have joined hands to make available new ready-to-sew face mask kits for the general public. The partnership imoroves the level of protection for everyday consumers by adding a layer of Nanoweb FM to the mask. Nanoweb FM is new filtration media made by H&V, designed for use in homemade face masks.
On April 3, the Centres for Disease Control issued new guidance to encourage the general public to wear “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain” in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Since then, several cities and states have added local mandates requiring residents to wear face coverings in public.
Nanoweb FM is new filtration media made by H&V, designed for use in homemade face masks. Importantly, this new media will not negatively affect the supply of respiratory protective equipment required by healthcare workers and other medical first responders.
This relationship brings together H&V’s knowledge and experience in the filtration industry with Midwest’s ability to reach the individual consumer. “H&V is one of the world’s leading producers of filtration media for face masks and many other filtration applications. By partnering with Midwest, and through the development of Nanoweb FM media, we are able to help support individuals and communities across the country that are struggling to obtain basic levels of protection,” said Mike Clark, division president at H&V. “Our new Nanoweb FM media was designed specifically for general use in homemade face masks, and can be inserted in a face mask pocket or stitched into a disposable pleated mask.”
Masks made from the Midwest kits are not surgical masks or filtering facepiece respirators. They are not recommended for use in any surgical setting or where significant exposure to liquid, bodily or other hazardous fluids may be expected; in a clinical setting where the infection risk level through inhalation exposure is high; or in the presence of a high intensity heat source or flammable gas.
On April 3, the Centres for Disease Control issued new guidance to encourage the general public to wear “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain” in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Since then, several cities and states have added local mandates requiring residents to wear face coverings in public.
Nanoweb FM is new filtration media made by H&V, designed for use in homemade face masks. Importantly, this new media will not negatively affect the supply of respiratory protective equipment required by healthcare workers and other medical first responders.
This relationship brings together H&V’s knowledge and experience in the filtration industry with Midwest’s ability to reach the individual consumer. “H&V is one of the world’s leading producers of filtration media for face masks and many other filtration applications. By partnering with Midwest, and through the development of Nanoweb FM media, we are able to help support individuals and communities across the country that are struggling to obtain basic levels of protection,” said Mike Clark, division president at H&V. “Our new Nanoweb FM media was designed specifically for general use in homemade face masks, and can be inserted in a face mask pocket or stitched into a disposable pleated mask.”
Masks made from the Midwest kits are not surgical masks or filtering facepiece respirators. They are not recommended for use in any surgical setting or where significant exposure to liquid, bodily or other hazardous fluids may be expected; in a clinical setting where the infection risk level through inhalation exposure is high; or in the presence of a high intensity heat source or flammable gas.