hope everyone is okay. I know there was a lot of debate during covid about mask wearing and it is still a very individual thing but I’m seeking some advice.
I have worn 3 layer tight cotton weave masks since covid because I can’t wear the disposable ones (tried several types and broke out in rashes across my face)mainly when in shops or somewhere that there could be triggers. It doesn’t stop triggers completely but helps lessen them definitely, but I do find that sometimes they make it harder to breath and send me into a dysfunctional breathing pattern. I haven’t worn them in work for a while but now need to reconsider it. My masks are now getting old and the company I got them from no longer make them.
I’ve just had a week long stay in hospital because somebody sprayed perfume in the office and triggered me (I wasn’t feeling great to start with and that was the last straw). I’m researching different mask types that I can potentially use at work (9 hour work day in an office). Obviously there are a lot of choices out there and I wanted to ask people’s experiences / recommendations so that I can research well and hopefully find something that might work for me.
For info my asthma is not very well controlled at the moment and I’m triggered by perfumes, aftershaves, deodorants, chemicals, cleaning products, animals . . . Pretty much everything.
thank you in advance
Written by
Beth_19
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Morning! Sorry to hear you haven't been well. If you want to go hardcore on the mask front, the Cambridge Mask Company do a great range but they are pricey. I have a couple for winter. If you want something a bit lighter (but they don't create a strong seal around the nose area for me but helped me in the exact same situation and I have a small face which doesnt help when trying to get a mask to fit) NEQI masks are very good or Uniqlo airism masks which have an added layer of bacterial filtration. Hope you feel better soon and seriously consider speaking to manager about the perfume situation. I had to do the same thing in my old office . It's daunting but it's your health and no one needs to be putting up with that nonsense!
thank you for the reply I will look into those masks. I have a phone call with occupational health tomorrow so hopefully they will give out recommendations and it will help.
I opted for the German made FFP2 face masks in the end as they were more reliable. My skin is sensitive to certain materials and didn't have a reaction to these masks and didn't have a problem with breathing either as they stand proud of the nose/mouth - the materials are a higher quality than the standard blue ones that were the main option. They come in boxes of 20 for around £12 (Amazon).
I am unable to wear any type of mask, as a warm, humid environment is one of my main triggers. However, several years before Covid, I ordered a mask which was amazing quality to help with being able to garden in the grass pollen season. I was unable to use it.
I just looked on their site, they have an asthma and allergy one. It is approved by The British Allergy Foundation. In the description, they mention chemical reactions including perfume etc.
On a separate note, I have similar triggers. I wasn't confident enough to mention it to my manager for the whole workplace, but used to discuss if the situation arose. It was very obvious anyway as I had to leave the room and use my inhaler multiple times to calm it down.
Eventually, I had a worse reaction as someone brought in bleach during our training week and used it without warning. There were two of us with chemical sensitive asthma and even though we immediately went out into the garden, we both had to go home and were both of sick the next day due to our asthma.
The manager immediately sat down with us when we both returned and wrote down our workplace triggers and emailed it out to all managers to educate their teams. (We used to move around between teams, wherever we were needed.) And this was such a relief for both of us. We were also told, our employers have a duty of care for all staff and this gave me the confidence to speak up more.
I will try and add the link if this is ok with the admin... There are reviews from people with chemical sensitivities too.
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