adahar
10-08-2021, 03:54 PM
This thread is not intended to be controversial nor intended to an OP for debate. It is merely a partial analysis of the linked document and hopefully provides information for compliance and prevention control according to the spirit of legislation, PHO's and personal safety.
It is written in the context of currently increasing cases and the likelihood of Covid circulating in the community if and when 80% vaccine saturation is achieved. When this threshold is reached it's unknown whether testing, isolation and formal quarantining will continue. If not, then the level of Covid present in the community will be unknown and the need to maintain a level of PPE may be a personal decision rather than a govt mandate.
The following link is a document that likely defines a policy approach taken by legislative bodies.
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/03/the-use-of-face-masks-and-respirators-in-the-context-of-covid-19.pdf
It is 24 pages long, published on 28/1/20 and updated on 11/3/21. For the sake of brevity I will extract some points that I see as relevant to mask wearing in a public setting.
Page 2 - "This advice is for for health and residential care workers and other occupational groups who may have contact with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, or people in quarantine."
It is clear that this advice is not intended for the standard of mask protection in a general public setting. However, there is subsequent text that encompasses the role of masks in that setting.
Point 1, page 2/3 - "A mask (surgical or cloth) can be used by a person with a respiratory viral infection, including COVID-19, with or without symptoms. A mask can protect others by decreasing the spread of infected respiratory secretions. This is called source control. Please note, cloth masks are not suitable for use by health and residential care workers or quarantine workers."
Here they imply there's a difference between a "surgical mask" and a "cloth" mask. The implication is that a cloth mask is likely to made of a material not suitable in a clinical setting and therefore doesn't comply with an Australian Standard.
Throughout this document the term "surgical mask" and "mask" are used and might be assumed to be interchangeable but there are significant differences between the two. It could be assumed that a "mask" could be any face covering that's described as a mask and it's unclear exactly which type is referred to where "mask" is mentioned.
However, in Point 1.2, page 5 there is discussion around masks in "Use of masks in non-health care settings". It could be assumed that these references to "masks" will include non-surgical and/or cloth masks.
A "surgical mask" is defined as one that will comply with AS and bears an ARTG number and a level classification. The standard establishes the thresholds of particle transmission for which the manufacturers will provide data for evaluation by the TGA. If the device meets the standards it is provided with an ARTG number. The approval can be cancelled by the TGA or voluntarily by the manufacturer for whatever reason. Any device that doesn't meet the standards should have the words "Not for medical use" or similar displayed somewhere on the packaging.
It follows that any "Not for medical use" mask could be of variable standard from reasonable to useless. There is a plethora of masks available from just about anywhere that look the same as approved masks so how to decide?
Make sure that there is a ARTG number on the packaging or, at a minimum, declared on a listing. Look for the "Level barrier" classification, type III is best. Explanation is in Appendix 1 on page 17 together with the following text,
"Surgical masks are not designed to protect the wearer from infectious agents transmitted via the airborne route. However, aerosol protection is documented, albeit at a lower level (61,57); and the standard specifies that the mask must withstand a 1 micron bacterial penetration test. Surgical masks are also valuable for source control."
There are many suppliers from online via Amazon, eBay etc. to Chemist Warehouse and Bunnings. Here are two online suppliers that declare the ARTG number and Level barrier class. There could be dozens more.
https://www.hicraftsafety.com.au/surgical-face-masks-green-pack-of-50-australian-made
https://www.sanitisersolutionsaustralia.com.au/shop/face-mask/disposable-face-masks/surgical-face-mask-artg-340970-certified-3-ply-box-50/
You can find out if a particular product has had its number cancelled by using this link,
https://www.tga.gov.au/post-market-review-face-masks-cancelled-artg-entries
Alternatively you can search the ATG database via this link,
https://tga-search.clients.funnelback.com/s/search.html
It is written in the context of currently increasing cases and the likelihood of Covid circulating in the community if and when 80% vaccine saturation is achieved. When this threshold is reached it's unknown whether testing, isolation and formal quarantining will continue. If not, then the level of Covid present in the community will be unknown and the need to maintain a level of PPE may be a personal decision rather than a govt mandate.
The following link is a document that likely defines a policy approach taken by legislative bodies.
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/03/the-use-of-face-masks-and-respirators-in-the-context-of-covid-19.pdf
It is 24 pages long, published on 28/1/20 and updated on 11/3/21. For the sake of brevity I will extract some points that I see as relevant to mask wearing in a public setting.
Page 2 - "This advice is for for health and residential care workers and other occupational groups who may have contact with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, or people in quarantine."
It is clear that this advice is not intended for the standard of mask protection in a general public setting. However, there is subsequent text that encompasses the role of masks in that setting.
Point 1, page 2/3 - "A mask (surgical or cloth) can be used by a person with a respiratory viral infection, including COVID-19, with or without symptoms. A mask can protect others by decreasing the spread of infected respiratory secretions. This is called source control. Please note, cloth masks are not suitable for use by health and residential care workers or quarantine workers."
Here they imply there's a difference between a "surgical mask" and a "cloth" mask. The implication is that a cloth mask is likely to made of a material not suitable in a clinical setting and therefore doesn't comply with an Australian Standard.
Throughout this document the term "surgical mask" and "mask" are used and might be assumed to be interchangeable but there are significant differences between the two. It could be assumed that a "mask" could be any face covering that's described as a mask and it's unclear exactly which type is referred to where "mask" is mentioned.
However, in Point 1.2, page 5 there is discussion around masks in "Use of masks in non-health care settings". It could be assumed that these references to "masks" will include non-surgical and/or cloth masks.
A "surgical mask" is defined as one that will comply with AS and bears an ARTG number and a level classification. The standard establishes the thresholds of particle transmission for which the manufacturers will provide data for evaluation by the TGA. If the device meets the standards it is provided with an ARTG number. The approval can be cancelled by the TGA or voluntarily by the manufacturer for whatever reason. Any device that doesn't meet the standards should have the words "Not for medical use" or similar displayed somewhere on the packaging.
It follows that any "Not for medical use" mask could be of variable standard from reasonable to useless. There is a plethora of masks available from just about anywhere that look the same as approved masks so how to decide?
Make sure that there is a ARTG number on the packaging or, at a minimum, declared on a listing. Look for the "Level barrier" classification, type III is best. Explanation is in Appendix 1 on page 17 together with the following text,
"Surgical masks are not designed to protect the wearer from infectious agents transmitted via the airborne route. However, aerosol protection is documented, albeit at a lower level (61,57); and the standard specifies that the mask must withstand a 1 micron bacterial penetration test. Surgical masks are also valuable for source control."
There are many suppliers from online via Amazon, eBay etc. to Chemist Warehouse and Bunnings. Here are two online suppliers that declare the ARTG number and Level barrier class. There could be dozens more.
https://www.hicraftsafety.com.au/surgical-face-masks-green-pack-of-50-australian-made
https://www.sanitisersolutionsaustralia.com.au/shop/face-mask/disposable-face-masks/surgical-face-mask-artg-340970-certified-3-ply-box-50/
You can find out if a particular product has had its number cancelled by using this link,
https://www.tga.gov.au/post-market-review-face-masks-cancelled-artg-entries
Alternatively you can search the ATG database via this link,
https://tga-search.clients.funnelback.com/s/search.html