Surgical Masks: The New Market

Online, April 14, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Once upon a time, if you could see a surgical mask then you could be pretty certain that you were in an operating theatre. Those days are behind us now and the surgical mask has become the surprising but sensible choice of today's hygiene conscious individual.

The revolutionary branching- out in the market has been triggered in no small part by the rise of industrial, smog-polluted towns and cities, particularly in East Asia. They were first used by cyclists and open air commuters wishing to negate the harmful effects of breathing in heavily polluted air on a daily basis. Most users were intending to prevent long term problems occurring with their respiratory systems.

More recently, surgical masks have been used in order to prevent the transmission of diseases such as the common cold. They are popular as a method of preventing the spread of infection (when worn by an ill person). They are also often used in order to avoid catching an infection (when worn by a healthy person), although there benefits for this purpose are less well proven. They will be a familiar site nowadays on a trip to almost any large city in East Asia.

Surgical masks really came to the fore during the 2007 bird flu pandemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. In each case, they proved to be a highly effective method of slowing down or halting the transmission of infection. During this period, surgical masks were widely used by the general public outside Asia and there was a great surge of sales in Mexico, Canada and the United States of America especially.

Surgical masks offer hygiene solutions simply by protecting the transmission of tiny liquid droplets from a person's nose or mouth. These droplets are common parcels for germs, bacteria or viruses and by containing them, great strides are taken to prevent the spread of disease. These particular masks also serve as a reminder for the user not to put his fingers near to his nose or mouth. Since germs, bacteria and viruses are easily picked up on your fingers, this is another way in which diseases can be spread.

Surgical masks should be treated as one-wear disposable items, otherwise they will become a hot-bed for germs and bacteria and any positive effects will be negated. If you are interested in becoming part of the hygiene revolution, you can pick up a large box of surgical masks for a few dollars at Twin Med Direct. For further information and to purchase your own surgical masks, please visit http://www.twinmeddirect.com/infection-control_surgical-masks.html.