3M Scores Big in Asia with N95 Masks
3M has proven to be one of the big beneficiaries of the
SARS crisis with the N95 mask, or respirator. The mask
has proven to be a major tool in the frontline battle
with the highly contagious airborne virus.
The SARS virus is often transmitted in microscopic airborne
particles of body fluid when a SARS victim coughs or sneezes.
Tests have shown that the SARS virus can live for up to
48 hours outside the human body in room temperature conditions.
In Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Taiwan, many of the
early SARS victims were nurses performing tracheotomies
on patients who were having difficulty breathing. When
medical authorities learned more about how the SARS virus
was transmitted, wearing masks became popular with the
general public, and in some places, have even become required.
In Singapore, 6 million N95 respirators were ordered from
3M to cover the needs of the general public.
Although China has local makers of medical masks, they
are generally considered to be of a lower standard than
the 3M product. It isn't known how many of the masks were
ordered, which retail for approximately US$4.
In early May, as the SARS crisis in Taiwan became serious,
the Taiwan government made an emergency order of 20 million
N95 respirators for the Taiwan public. Taiwan has been
largely unprepared for the SARS crisis, and N95 masks
have sold for up to $20 on the black market. When they
cannot be bought, some members of the general public have
gone so far as to cut women's bras in two, and wearing
them instead.
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