Wearing a mask has become a norm post the COVID-19 outbreak, and many are trying to innovate with the regular face mask to become more efficient in the fight against the virus. Achieving success in this line is Jai Dhar Gupta, Founder of Nirvana Being, who has engineered the N95 reusable Airific mask, certified by Nelson Labs in USA and ITS Lab in India.
The process of working on the product started in mid-January. High-density areas, warm temperatures for the next seven months, sustainable materials that inhibit transmission, highest protection with least breathing resistance, certifications, were factors that Gupta made sure the protective mask is able to cope up with. “As a company with in-depth knowledge of masks and its nuances, we saw this as an opportunity to innovate and pivot, and address a huge opportunity for anti-viral masks created by the global pandemic,” says Gupta, adding, “Airific is a reusable, anti-viral mask that is N95 certified with a viral filtration efficiency (VFE) of 99.7 per cent. It is the first mask in the world that uses a nanotech filter, which provides the highest protection, with really low breathing resistance that makes the mask easy-to-wear over long periods of time.”
The mask also uses Indian organic, porous sustainable fabrics in the outer and inner layer, which is key to drive comfort throughout our Indian summer. “Moreover, the fibres in the porous material catch the virus particles, dry them out and break them apart faster than a non-porous fabric. All our knowledge of pollution masks has been utilised to create different sizes for a perfect fit, to completely seal the face and force all the inhaled air through the nanotech filter, for close to 100 per cent airborne viral protection (down to 0.1 micron),” notes Gupta.
Unlike the easily available cloth face masks that neither seal the face nor protects it from nanoparticle droplets in the air released during speaking, or even breathing, Airific comes in different sizes for a perfect fit and the nanotech filter does block the nanoparticle droplets down to 0.1 micron from entering your breathing passages. “The use of sustainable materials gives the mask a life of eight weeks in current AQI conditions and the materials used are biodegradable,” concludes Gupta.