INSTANT SURVIVAL TIP: The N95 Face Mask
I can’t quite decide what to think of this N1H1 flu bug. On one hand, it’s hard to take seriously a flu that is nearly invisible in my city and state. On the other, the offical “flu season” is months away and people are still catching and dying from this virus.
I’m a Survival Mom, so of course I checked into what precautions my family should take if and when this flu, or any other, should become a serious threat. One item that sold out around the country within just a few days of the Swine Flu scare last spring was the N95 face mask. These masks are approved as surgical masks, but should probably not be reused since there is no way to clean or disinfect them once used. If someone in your household became ill with this flu, you would use one mask each time you were in close proximity to him or her. That could add up to a lot of masks!
Fortunately, they are quite affordable. Shop around online, and you’ll find them for about 50¢ each. Look for sites that offer free shipping for even more savings. By the way, I recommend keeping a few of these in your Vehicle 72 Hour Kit. They would come in handy in a severe dust storm, a forest fire, or breathing any type of contaminated air.
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I recently saw these masks in my grocery store in the 'hardware' isle, so I grabbed a few. Before I would have ignored them, but now I'm always on the lookout for various things no matter where I go. In fact, many items for the 72-hr kit can be found at the grocery store, and it's been very easy for me to get started with my preparedness.
Have you ever worn one of these masks for any length of time? Last year I had to wear one for just a half hour or so. The suffocated feeling of having something over my face was very uncomfortable to me, and I realized that even something as simple as wearing a face mask is something that should be practiced! Be sure to keep some in your vehicle in case you're ever in a situation where fumes are a problem.
When all the H1N1 stuff came up, I tried to find reusable masks online. I found these, which are machine washable. I can't say I love wearing them, but they aren't bad since they're fabric. They also have fleece ones for asthmatics to wear in the winter. We all have one or two, and they have kids sizes and styles as well as adults.
http://breathehealthy.com/
Since you live where it's hot, you might be interested in this suggestion from Breathe Healthy: wear the mask damp for a cooling effect.
We also each have scrub caps – regular for the guys and "bouffant" or some such that has more room for hair for me. You see, we have ticks. We have A LOT of ticks, and ticks like hair because it's easy to hide in. We get ticks on us walking down the asphalt driveway to the mailbox. Not sure exactly how, but the scrub caps make it harder for the @#$@# ticks to get into our hair and hide. And if the SHTF and someone needs surgery, we've got the caps to keep our hair contained. Gotta love eBay.
Wearing one of those face masks is a lot easier said than done. When I had to wear one for a while last year while our floors were being sealed, I couldn't believe how uncomfortable it was, at least to me. My husband wears them all the time on construction sites, so it must be a matter of just getting used to the feeling of having something covering your nose and mouth. I'll check out Breathe Healthy as an alternative. Thanks for the tip.
The Breathe Healthy ones feel more like having a scarf over your face. I agree that the regular ones are uncomfortable for more than a few minutes. These aren't like not wearing anything, but they're a whole lot better (IMHO) than the disposables, and you can adjust the fit over your ears to make them comfortable to you.
Sometimes my husband does attic work and has to use face masks, just whatever Home Depot carries. I would like to buy one of these for him to try. He said that when his face mask gets damp with sweat or water, it just collapses around his face. Not good.