Industrialists and researchers, including some employees of the CEA in Grenoble and Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, announced on Tuesday the marketing of a mask that can be reused 100 times and at a consumer price of less than 30 euros.
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The idea germinated three weeks ago within a Grenoble collective of around forty researchers and companies called VOC-Cov (Will to Organize Against Covid-19), which activated their networks, explained to AFP their spokesperson Pierre-Emmanuel Frot. The CEA has made available its infrastructure and its research and testing resources, while Michelin is in the process of designing the prototype.
A pre-series of 5,000 units of this mask is being manufactured " and the first parts will be released next week ", said AFP the company Ouvry, a Lyon-based SME specializing in personal protective equipment NRBC (nuclear, radiological , Biological and chemical) to whom production has been entrusted.
" The production capacity objective is one million masks per week in May, or a production exceeding 5 million by the end of June (the equivalent of 500 million current disposable masks) ", underline the project leaders in a press release. Michelin has already reserved 130,000 masks, part of which will be donated to the Regional Health Agencies.
Called " OCOV® ", this mask is not of the FFP2 type for Face Filter P2, but FM Face Mask P1 or P2 " includes a flexible face piece that covers the nose, mouth and chin, as well as replaceable filters and reusable ”.
A price of 28 euros
The mask, which will have a consumer price of 28 euros will be delivered with 5 washable filters which will allow 100 uses, a cost of 28 cents per use (against about 3 euros for the FFP2 mask). Then it will be possible to simply buy filters, without having to throw away the mask.
" The leak rate required by the FM standard is 5 times lower than the FF standard (<2% for FM and <8% for FF filters) ", which makes it a very filtering mask , " said the designers. Certifications are underway, "the health authorities have the file in their hands," added Mr. Frot. To decide what type of use will be authorized, in particular in a sanitary environment or not.
" Even if it happens after the peak of the crisis for teaching hospitals, the decline in the epidemic will be long and we will need it for deconfinement, " said Mr. Frot. The initiators also associated with this project the CHU of Grenoble Alpes, the ARS of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (AURA), the order of doctors and the French Society of Disaster Medicine as well as communities like the AURA Region or the city of Grenoble. “We raked wide to be sure that our mask met the needs!”, Concluded Mr. Frot.
