Surgical Mask Specifications

Surgical masks are worn by surgeons and other hospital staff to prevent against the spread of pathogens. According to the Infection Control Today website, the wearing of masks, gloves and gowns in operating rooms dates back to the 1860s. These disposable masks are strapped behind the head and loosely cover the mouth and nose. While they do not protect against fine particles in the air, surgical masks are designed to block large droplets, splashes or sprays from entering the wearer's mouth and nose.

Styles

• Masks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most common style is the flat-fold tie-on surgical mask. Other styles include the duckbill, cone shape, flat-fold with shields and duckbill with shields. The duckbill style has a pouched design that keeps the mask off the nose and mouth for increased comfort and breathability. The flat-fold style contains two or more horizontal pleats of material meant to add protection and enhance the fit of the mask. Surgical masks feature either two ties, two ear loops or a single or double elastic band, which are attached to either side of the mask for securing around the wearer's head. Masks should cover both the nose and mouth completely, with no tenting at the sides of the mouth. They also contain a pliable strip in the nose area that helps the mask fit closely.

Dimensions

• Adenna's Blue Earloop 3-Ply Face Masks measure seven inches high by three inches wide; the ear loops are 6.5 inches long each. Medline's Standard Surgical Mask is 4.5 inches long, 7.2 inches wide and 0.12 inches high. The 3M 1860 Health Care Particulate Respirator and Surgical Mask fits a wide range of face sizes. The 1860S model is the smaller size.

Filtration

• Two terms used to describe the percentage and size of the particles filtered through a mask are "bacterial filtration efficiency" (BFE) and "particle filtration efficiency" (PFE). The latter refers to the percentage of particles that are filtered out at a pore size of 0.1 to 1 micron. The former gauges how effective a mask is at filtering bacteria ranging from 1 micron to 5 microns. The higher the percentage of small particles the mask filters out, the more effective it is. 3M's entire line of surgical and specialty masks feature a PFE and a BFE of greater than 99 percent. Adenna's Blue Earloop Face Mask has a PFE and BFE of greater than 99 percent each. Medline's Standard Surgical Mask has a PFE of greater than 98 percent and a BFE of greater than 97 percent.

Materials

• Surgical masks are made of soft paper or other non-woven material. Multi-ply masks usually contain polypropylene material for filtering purposes. Surgical masks are typically latex- and fiberglass-free.