Safe Life Corporation (San Diego, CA) recently released a new respirator that looks and feels more like a traditional surgical face mask. We received a copy of the A400 respirator for review and spent about a half hour wearing it to see how it feels.
The new Safe Life A400 N95 Respirator can filter 95 percent of the airborne particles that can carry viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, while looking and feeling similar to a normal face mask. It’s light, durable and easy to use. Safe Life made this respirator by infusing iodine into a polymer, making it safe for wearing while oxidizing microorganisms to death.
The disposable mask comes in two sizes (S/M and M/L) and is said to be cost effective, though there is no information about the price.
Doing activities around the house with the Safe Life N95 Respirator was fine, until 30 minutes after wearing the mask it became slightly uncomfortable as the neck straps are quite tight and pull the unit firmly onto the face. Another marginal issue was with the padded metal band that creates a seal around the nose area. It was a bit rough and could use softer support padding.
Other than the mask being slightly irritating, the Safe Life N95 Respirator does the job, and it’s been certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to be a true N95 class respirator.
Overall, we can say that Safe Life created an innovative product that does what the mask was supposed to do. It comes in a small package, it is relatively comfortable, and is a bit less conspicuous than traditional respirators.
Press release: Safe Life Introduces First Comfortable, Breathable N95 Respirator with Antimicrobial Protection …
Product page: Safe Life N95 Respirators …
Public Health Archives
Safe Life A400: A New Look for an N95 Respirator
A New Form Factor for Personal Water Filtration
Korean designers Woo sik Kim and Duck soo Choi have a new idea for a water filtration system to be used by people living in remote environments. The “happy basin” is placed onto unclean water and, as it’s pushed down, filters the water to create a contagion free source for drinking and washing up.
From the designers (forgive the broken English):
Google Flu Shot Finder Goes Live
Google has released a new tool to help Americans find local pharmacies and clinics offering seasonal and H1N1 flu shots. So far the database is far from complete and Google hopes providers will share information about availability once they get word of the service.
From the Official Google Blog:
Ford’s Inflatable Airbags to Bring Extra Safety Up Close
Ford is going ahead with seatbelt airbags in the next generation Ford Explorer. The system uses compressed gas which, for safety, inflates the seatbelt at a slower speed than traditional airbags using chemical explosives. Apparently, Lexus is planning to release a similar system in its higher end vehicles next year.
Press release: Ford Introduces Industry’s First Inflatable Seat Belts to Enhance Rear Seat Safety …
Camera Phone Microscope Uses Holographic Processing to View Cells
Aydogan Ozcan, an assistant professor at University of California, Los Angeles, has developed an attachment for camera phones that turns these devices into microscopes useful for histological and microbiological analysis. Interestingly, the device uses no additional optics but relies on processing the interference patterns of light coming from the samples to recreate the image.
A snippet from the New York Times:
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Delivery Method for Iomai’s Transcutaneous Vaccine
We’ve previously covered Iomai Corp’s (now part of Intercell) transcutaneous vaccination technology, with the idea being that if you’re able to vaccinate patients through their skin, you can take advantage of the high density of Langerhans cells in the epidermis to activate an amplified immune response. Also, since transcutaneous vaccination does not involve systemic exposure, you’re able to use more potent immune stimulants. These factors, in addition to it being needle-less, make transcutaneous vaccination an appealing option because you need less vaccine for an equal immune response. Additionally, having the vaccine in this dry, patch form also allows it to last much longer without refrigeration (possibly up to six months).
Application of the vaccine, however, first requires you to scrape off some of the keratinized epithelium to gain access to the Langerhans cells. This abrasion needs to be consistent, painless, and easy enough that it could be self-administered. At TEDMED, we’ve heard from IDEO’s CEO Tim Brown, whose design firm was hired to develop the application technique for the transcutaneous vaccine patches. IDEO came up with a band aid looking device with a bulls eye and an attached tab. Pressing at the center and pulling the tab draws an abrasive strip across the skin, as well as leaves an ink mark to show where the vaccine patch should be placed. The application device and patch is also made using only standard processes and materials so they’d be easily manufactured in developing countries.
Quick and Easy Test for Pesticide Presence in Food and Drinks
Scientists from McMaster University in Canada have developed a dipstick that changes color when exposed to organophosphate pesticides. The test provides results in a matter of minutes, is reportedly inexpensive to produce, could be used for food testing, and perhaps might lead to a marketable product that one day could be found in food stores.
From the abstract in Analytical Chemistry:
AED Location Database Points to Nearest Life Saving Device
Automatic external defibrillators (AED’s) are becoming more common in public places like airports, theaters, and sports stadiums. To be effective, you must quickly find the nearest AED while in an unfamiliar environment, a task that’s not immediately obvious when seconds count. Bertalan Meskó at ScienceRoll is reporting that Lucien Engelen, a technologist at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in Holland, has a project to geolocate AEDs, and make the data available for mobile browsers. Additionally, you can use a location aware application like the Layar Reality Browser to pinpoint immediately where the AED is located in your vicinity.
Link: AED4EU…
MedPageToday Unmasks the Surgical Mask
MedPageToday has published an interesting article that looks at the evidence of whether surgical masks, as well as tight seal respirators, such as N95, provide any protection to healthcare workers or patients. So what’s the article’s findings? The evidence that masks provide any meaningful respiratory shield is indeed quite slim, even for the operating room environment. Hence the conclusion:
“Masks and respirators should be considered the ‘last line of defense’ in a hierarchy of infection control measures.”
