Researchers have come up with a bacteria resistant cloth that is able to kill most known pathogens from the air we breathe. The protection is not in the filter or fabric but the chemical concoction they apply to it that gives it a blue tinge that is activated by light. The cloth is considered to be a medical fabric so it is awaiting approval by the US Food and Drugs Administration. The fabric is planned not only for face masks and filters but for a myriad of other applications such as lab gowns and hospital over-garments that are able to contain and neutralize bacteria rendering them harmless. Face masks and filters work mainly by mechanical filtering that prevents particles and pathogens from getting inhaled as you breathe. The new filter would allow pathogens to be neutralized and disposed of better needing less handling and treatment. Imagine the flu virus for which people have been using face and dust masks for prevention that is totally useless for handling them simply transfers the pathogens filtered out from the air into your mouth or skin producing mechanical transmission and spreading it further. The bacteria killing fabric, kills viruses and bacteria rendering them safe to handle thus preventing the spread of diseases from contaminated waste.
The treatment system used on the fabric is still under development and will also be released soon along with the many other applications for which it can be used making the world a safer place for all of us allowing all of us to breathe a little easier.
On another front, 3M a pioneer in adhesives and houshold cleaning agents has come up with a cloth that has built in bacteria indicator that fades as the clothing gets loaded with bacteria. The product, Scotch Brite Heavy Duty Cloth has been on the market for sometime and is a welcome addition to our health conscious generation as we learn more and more about the dangers these pathogens expose us to.