Chinese manufacturer, Anhui Health Box Technology, in east China unveils the first non-woven antimicrobial face mask embedded with copper and claims it to be scientifically proven to reduce the COVID-19 transmission by 99 per cent.
The mask features self-sanitising properties and can be reused up to 60 times. The salmon-pink colour of the mask is attributed to copper-oxide micro-particles, which is responsible for killing variety of viruses and bacteria that come into contact with it.
A recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that the COVID-19 viruses die in about 4 hours on a copper surface.
The mask has been tested in the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Nelson Labs in the US where they were proven to be 50 per cent more effective in killing bacteria and viruses in comparison to the traditional melt-blown fabric.
Moreover, the product has also received verification by the Provincial Testing Institute and obtained the European Union’s CE Mark certification as well as the ISO 9001 quality management certification.
“The biggest advantage of the copper-impregnated mask is its self-sanitising property, which makes it reusable and can greatly reduce the environmental impact of many single-use face masks,” said Professor Guan Yi, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at HKU.
