Masks for Flu Pandemic

After studying the bird flu pandemic for months now, I finally bought a supply of N95 face masks. (Every article I read said to buy "N95" masks.) The cheapest price I found on the internet was from ZefonInternational. I was able to get 3M 8000 N95 Particulate Dust Masks, 30 per box for $9.85 ($0.38 each). (For comparison, Emergency Essentials is selling these for $12.99 for a box of 20, $.65 each.)

These have a metal bar that can be shaped across the bridge of the nose, and would be worn for short times and then discarded. (Note: Since I bought mine, the 3M 8000 Dust Masks have been repackaged as 3M 8200, which come 20 to a package for $8.75, which equals $0.437 each. So the prices are going up.)

I also bought the fancier ones, with the valve in front to help you breathe longer without moisture building up inside, and then discarded. Those were 3M 8511 N95 Particulate Respirators, 10 per box for $15.80 ($1.58 each).



Those were the ones I bought, March 2009. I can't tell you if they were the best for the job or not, just that they were the best prices I found when I searched the web.

More Information:

Why to store masks, who is storing masks, what kind of masks to buy.
"Pandemic--Face Masks"

How many you need, what sizes.
"Pandemic-N95 Face Masks and an update on the Peanut Butter Recall" written Jan. 1, 2009

The following quote is from the article "FDA Clears First Respirators for Use in Public Health Medical Emergencies"

"An N95 filtering facepiece respirator is a type of face mask that fits tightly over the nose and mouth. It is made of fibrous material that is designed to filter out at least 95 percent of very small airborne particles...

"While the exact nature and concentration of the biological agent or germ may not be known in a public health medical emergency, we believe that minimizing exposure will help reduce risk," said Daniel Schultz, M.D., director, FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "These respirators are only one part of a combination of approaches that can be used to help reduce the spread of infection between individuals during such events."

I thought this was important enough that I wanted to spend some of my food storage money on it.