Can the mask be washed?It is recommended that you wash the neoprene shell of the mask every month under normal use. To do this it is necessary to remove the filter and the valve first. Although spare valves and filters are available from your retailer, please be careful not to misplace any of the components during maintenance.
For more FAQ, see Respro® Mask FAQ
Policy makers will today face renewed calls to introduce stronger measures to tackle poor air quality, as a survey reveals the majority of EU citizens do not think governments are doing enough to tackle harmful pollution.
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) NGO will today make the call during a summit marking the start of the European Union’s “year of air”, in which EU air pollution policy will be revised.
The EEB will highlight a new poll by the EU’s public opinion analysts, Eurobarometer, showing that 72 per cent of EU citizens think public authorities are not doing enough to promote good air quality.
A recent study by the European Topic Centre on Air Pollution and Climate Change found poor air quality causes nearly half a million premature deaths in Europe each year and is associated with high economic costs, lost working days and damage to ecosystems.
The EEB is specifically calling on the EU to tighten legal standards for fine particles (PM2.5) that currently fall below those recommended by the World Health Organisation. It is also concerned by the high number of member states that are breaching existing air pollution limits, including the UK.
EU urged to crack down on pollution in ‘year of air’ – 08 Jan 2013 – News from BusinessGreen.
A thick brown haze which has covered nine big cities – including the capital, Tehran – in Iran for the past 10 days is being blamed for thousands of deaths.
According to reports, Tehran enjoys less than 100 healthy days a year. Iran’s health ministry has reported a rise in respiratory and heart diseases, as well as an increase in a variety of cancers that it says are related to pollution.
Each year, the 5.5 million vehicles in the city pump an estimated five million tonnes of CO2 and other poisonous gases into the air.
Iranian women wearing masks in Tehran (file photo) Iranians have been taking preventive measures against the smog
Some experts believe that domestically-produced petrol suffers from low quality and it has fanned the flames of air pollution.
Northern Utah remains under a health alert from a weeklong bout of concentrated air pollution.
The Utah Division of Air Quality renewed the alert Monday for the entire Wasatch Front — Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Cache and Utah counties.
Officials say an atmospheric inversion is trapping cold air and pollutants in northern Utah’s bowl-shaped mountain valleys.
Authorities are prohibiting wood burning and urging people to limit driving.
A Stage I Air Pollution Alert is in effect for Missoula County, meaning that no visible emissions are allowed from any wood stove or other solid fuel burning devices without a valid Stage I Air Alert Permit.
Local health officials say that in Missoula and Frenchtown the cumulative exposure Sunday was “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.” Meanwhile, the air quality was reported as “Unhealthy” in Hamilton.
Strong inversions and poor dispersion is expected to persist through overnight, but the Stage I Air Alert may not last past Monday if evening breezes on Monday clear the smoke out.” according to Ben Schmidt with the Missoula City-County Health Department.
People with heart or lung disease, smokers, children and the elderly should limit prolonged exertion while folks with asthma should follow their asthma management plan. Anyone experiencing signs of respiratory distress should talk to their health care provider.
via Air Pollution Alert in effect for Missoula | KPAX.com | Missoula, Montana.
Hassan Aghajani, an advisor to the Minister of Health, said on Saturday there has been an increase of 30% in heart patients visiting hospitals over the last few days. He said in the last Iranian year, about 4460 deaths in Tehran were due to harmful particles in the air.
They’re little more than a pile of burning sticks with a stewpot atop them. But these open fires or basic cookstoves have been linked to the premature deaths of 4 million people annually, many of them young children.
Three billion people around the world rely on wood, charcoal, agricultural waste, animal dung and coal for household cooking needs. They often burn these fuels inside their homes in poorly ventilated stoves or in open fires.
The resulting miasma exposes families to air pollution levels as much as 50 times greater than World Health Organization guidelines for clean air, setting the stage for heart and lung disease.
Household air pollution can also lead to pneumonia in children and low birth weight in infants.
Now researchers believe the smoke may be a contributing factor in bacterial meningitis outbreaks in countries such as Ghana, whose northern region is located in Africa’s “meningitis belt.”
An estimated 300 million people live in the meningitis belt, which includes part or all of The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
via Cooking up clean air in Africa: Reducing air pollution and meningitis risk in Ghana.
Officials in Tehran have ordered schools, universities, government offices, and other institutions to close on January 5 because of high air pollution in the Iranian capital.
Only emergency and health services will report for work under the order from Morteza Tamadon, the Tehran governor.
The ISNA news agency said games in Tehran had also been called off to protect players’ health.
Reports say the authorities are planning to impose restrictions on vehicle traffic to reduce pollution, while residents have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel.
It’s the second time in a month that activities have been ordered halted in Tehran because of air pollution.
The Iranian capital is considered one of the dirtiest cities in the world, with many traffic jams involving aging, polluting cars.
Pollution Masks - The 'Original' and still the best - Established 1993 - Made in the UK 
Respro® Masks are reusable
