SA company says they've created self-sanitising face mask that kills SARS-CoV-2
Face masks aren't going anywhere anytime soon and there are some exciting new innovations.
Face masks are the most necessary, and the hottest, accessory of the year.
There's no doubt about that and it might even be the accessory of the decade seeing as they're going to be a part of our daily lives for the foreseeable future.
It might have all started with blue medical masks, but soon mask-producing businesses were creating new and innovative designs and every organisation imaginable created its own masks.
Now a company based in Johannesburg have come up with a design that is truly inventive, original, and much-needed.
Copper Fresh is helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 in a very exciting way.
While you might be thinking "all masks stop the spread of the virus in the same way, that's why we're wearing them", Copper Fresh has found a different method.
Sure the mask covers your nose and mouth providing the obvious protection, but they have taken it one step further.
By introducing copper into their design, they have been able to create beautifully tie-dyed, self-sanitising masks that lasts longer than single-use masks.
Copper Fresh was founded by three entrepreneurs, David Ash, Dean Lazarus, and Roy Miller, and they have told Business Insider that their masks kill the SARS-Cov-2 virus in mere minutes.
One of the problems with masks is that it doesn’t prevent you from touching your face often. This means every time you touch your face you are spreading new virus onto your mask and contaminating it. Our mask kills viruses and bacteria. Whereas your traditional blue mask doesn’t. So, if you take your mask off and then put it back on again you are still carrying the virus with you.
Seems too good to be true, right?
Don't worry though, Copper Fresh has done the work and, without getting too scientific and technical, it's been proven that copper really is an effective disease destroyer.
The University of Cambridge found that copper and alloys containing 58% copper in hospital ward furnishings and equipment are effective at killing microbes. It has also been proven to kill diseases such as norovirus, Influenza A, E. coli, and MRSA.
And now it's also been effectively killing the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
Copper Fresh also has a whole section of their website dedicated to the science behind the mask, providing multiple resources for multiple aspects of the mask technology.
They began working with a company in Israel, MedCu Technologies, which had been making copper oxide-infused fabrics for medical use.
It gives us great pleasure and pride to take part in protecting the South African people, especially given the vaccination challenge, with the world's first and only active mask with impregnated copper-oxide fabric.
The mask features an nN95 filter in between two sheets of the copper material, giving you three layers of protection and you can re-wear them dozens of times without any need to wash them.
They are currently producing 40,000 and 50,000 units per day, but they have also just gained their South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) certification, which means they can soon up their production rate.
You might also be thinking that these masks will probably be SUPER expensive.
They are currently looking at selling the masks for R25 each (subject to change depending on production demand) and given that you could get a month and a half to two months of wear out of a single mask, it comes down to a total of less than a rand per wear.
What an incredible creation!
Once again South African innovation, creativity, and brilliance is shining through - and we just love to see it!
Main image courtesy of Copper Fresh Website