6 months ago, I ordered a pack of 3M Anti-Pollution Masks from Amazon India (link http://amzn.to/2AHw2aI). My idea behind ordering these was to use them while cleaning and dusting at home to ensure my asthma was kept in check, while the house was cleaned regularly to get rid of allergens.
Fast forward 6 months and now I find myself using it whenever I go out, in order to prevent the smog and pollution from choking me and causing an asthma attack.
At Rs. 189 for a 10 pack (Rs. 18.9 per mask), this isn’t the best anti-pollution or PM2.5 masks available and is extremely cheap.
Yet, when it came to cleaning at home, it did a wonderful job and I never felt any dust, be it while dusting or even when cleaning the filter of vacuum cleaner full of really fine dust!
Outdoor too, it seems to be working fairly well and I wore it while traveling when the smog was at its thickest and air extremely heavy and full of that burnt/ash taste! Even then, it seemed to be doing a good enough job keeping the taste of air as well as pollutants away.
After all, for someone suffering from asthma, traveling in Delhi on one of the highest pollution days and not feeling being choked or coughing is quite an achievement and I managed to came out unscathed on multiple occasions.
That is not to say, it is perfect.
For one, when you’re breathing heavily, it does let in some pollution. So this is clearly not a solution if you run out of breath regularly or are planning to go running or cycling outdoors.
Fitting too although alright, does take some getting used to and some of the air you exhale ends up getting pushed out towards your eyes. Though this generally happens when the mask isn’t worn properly and the nose clip isn’t adjusted properly or in case you’re breathing heavily.
However, this can be mildly annoying and for those planning to wear 3M Anti-Pollution Mask with eyewear or under a motorcycle helmet, it can lead to fogging as well.
However, for Rs. 18.9, I don’t think you can ask for much more. Especially since the cheap price lets you toss these away, whenever you feel they are getting dirty or smelly. I feel these should work out well for most people looking to filter out at least some of the choking pollution. Though for those willing to spend more, there are better solutions out there.
These masks can be bought online from Amazon India at http://amzn.to/2AHw2aI.
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