January 28, 2022
What Are KN95 and FFP2?
1. KN95 Particulate Respirator– National Standard implemented by China.
KN95 is the standard of China . According to the regulations in respiratory protective equipment - self-priming filter type particle respirator (GB 2626-2006), KN is only applicable to filtering non oily particles. The number after the letter represents the protection level of the mask. The larger the number is, the higher the protection level.
2. FFP2 Filtering Half Mask - European Union Executive Standard.
The European standard respirator meets the certification standard of respiratory protective equipment of European Standards Committee.
FFP2 is specified in the European standard EN 149-2001 respiratory protective devices filtering half masks to protect against particle requirements testing marking, which is formulated and issued by the European Committee for Standardization.
Generally speaking, the implementation standards of masks are the standards for the minimum filtering efficiency of masks under certain test environment, that is, the filtering effect of these standard masks will not be lower than a certain of fixed value.
Chinese national standard, GB2626-2006 standard for self-priming filter type particulate matter respirator for respiratory protective articles, with filtration efficiency ≥ 95%. KN95 tests only for non oily particles, and the filtration effect is ≥ 95%
European Union executive standard, filtration efficiency must be ≥ 94%. The difference is that FFP2 must be tested its filtration efficiency on both non oily and oily particles, and the filtration effect must be ≥ 94%.
3. Difference Between a KN95 Face Mask and a FFP2 Face Mask
In terms of filtration efficiency, KN95 that reaches 95% should be at the similar level as FFP2 reaching 94%. However, KN95 mask is likely to fail the test under FFP2 standard.
The reason is simple. KN95 is only for non oily particles, while FFP2 is both for non oily and oily particles. In daily life, the droplets that are easy to spread the virus are generally non oily particles. The protective ability of KN95 and FFP2 masks is similar, but if oil particles are used for testing, the KN95 may fail the test.
Therefore, during the pandemic period, especially when the surrounding environment is relatively contagious, Buda-U suggested that people in Europe should choose FFP2 masks. For domestic people in China, it is recommended to choose KN95 mask or other high-efficiency protective mask.
