Converting a mechanic’s/builder’s dust respirator to increase COVID-19 protection
At the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, masks were in short supply. Masks need to perform two functions: protect the wearer from infection, and protect others from infection by the wearer if the wearer is infected (and perhaps asymptomatic).
There are a great many mechanic’s/builder’s dust respirators in circulation (and unlike disposable masks, they last 28 days, and fit the wearer in an almost airtight seal). However they do not perform that second function, because the out-breath is unfiltered. At the start of the pandemic, as a stop-gap until supply lines catch up with demand, Sloan Water Technology Limited conducted an exercise to add filters to the out-breath of mechanic’s/builder’s dust respirators. The following 14 minute video outlines the positive and negatives of various DIY masks, then details the conversion of the mechanic’s/builder’s dust respirator.
This 14 minute video, presented by Professor Tim Leighton and Carl Knox, outlines the positive and negatives of various DIY masks, then details the conversion of the mechanic’s/builder’s dust respirator.
The CAD files can be downloaded below and are free to use. The devices are not certified to any standard with respect to the filtration of the outbreath, but add out-breath filtration to a currently well-build 28-day product. They will not guarantee protection, and offer no protection for infection via touch surfaces (keypads, table tops etc.), which can transmit infection (e.g. to your eye via your hands).
