Recommendations where to buy FFP2 masks

jd87

In some European countries the standard of masks required in shops and transport has been tightened. A "cloth" face covering or a blue "surgical" mask is no longer good enough and people are required to wear a proper FFP2 / KN95 standard mask. The same rule might come to the UK soon, so I want to get ahead of the game. Amazon seems to be full of so many fakes and falsely certified masks that it's a bit of a lottery. Can anyone recommend a good place to get some?

[Deleted User]

There's a London seller on eBay selling 3M FFP3 masks who has 100% approval rating.   Could well be genuine now that supplies have increased, the catch is that they're £10 or more each!

Lloyds Pharmacy do not have FFP3s in-stock, and the out-of-stock ones they had are the valved ones that shouldn't be bought as they don't protect others from your exhalations.

But they do have some cheap FFP2s in stock, which is what you asked about:

https://lloydspharmacy.com/products/purity-labs-ffp2-face-masks

TimSynths

Fill yer boots-
Amazon.co.uk : FFP3 masks

Nebulous2

The OP was asking about FFP2s.  FFP3s really need to be fitted to the individual, as they need a better seal to be effective. 

Which countries are expecting people to wear FFP2s? 

In care settings, such as care homes, they wear blue surgical masks.  In specific settings, where there are what is known as AGPs (aerosoI generating procedures) they wear FFP3s, but these needed to be fitted for each person.   I can't see there being any demand on the public to get FFP2s, or 3s for that matter. 

Blue surgical masks are not all the same. Early on in the pandemic guidance changed to say they should be fluid resistant masks, which are the type IIR's. Prior to that people were often wearing type II, possibly because that is all they could get.  For most circumstances type IIR is considered suitable. 

[Deleted User]

There's definitely a shift taking place, at least from some quarters:

Hasbeen

You can try screwfix. Variety there?
Example.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/moulded-valved-masks-p2-2-pack/3399k

JamoLew

Probably need to be more worried about:

a) people not wearing a mask at all
b) people not wearing their mask properly

finalfantasist

So they're going from mandating face coverings that don't filter out virus particles to much more expensive masks that also don't filter out virus particles.

Brilliant.

The_Green_Hornet

WHO guidance on who should wear medical masks can be found at the link below.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-masks

[Deleted User]

Hasbeen said:

You can try screwfix. Variety there?
Example.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/moulded-valved-masks-p2-2-pack/3399k

Dislike!

Those are the masks that shouldn't be worn.   They have a valve which means they don't filter your exhalations.  So they are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard!   They are designed for painters and decorators etc, not for use in a pandemic where your (unvalved) mask protects other people.  

[Deleted User]

The_Green_Hornet said:

WHO guidance on who should wear medical masks can be found at the link below.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-masks

That's from 1st December before the new variant.  It's out of date information.    Hence the tweet I screenshotted above.