The Importance of Reusable Masks with Climate Change
With climate change unpredictability and continual COVID-19 and other viruses emerging, USA women-owned Unicorn Breathing Mask is taking matters into its own hands by creating a highly effective protection mask powered by technology, nanotechnology to be specific, with lab tested 99% efficiency at 0.1 microns surpassing all non-medical masks on the market.
We spoke with Kimberly Sky, founder of this women-created California-based CDC-endorsed UNICORN Mask. “Most non-surgical masks only filter down to PM2.5, which is much larger than the microscopic ≈0.125 micron virulent particle size of COVID-19, on top of leaving numerous gaps/leakage resulting in reduced efficiency,” says Sky. “They can also cause problems for the wearer, especially frontline workers who have to wear masks for an extended period of time, including ear chafing, facial markings, acne, claustrophobia, headaches, breathability issues, foggy glasses, fabric sucking into the mouth, and even painful conditions such as pleurisy and bacterial infections.”
Sky set out to solve these issues, including the most important on all of our minds, protection. When searching for what to call her mask, ‘Unicorn’ was the obvious choice. ASTM F3502 Unicorn Breathing Mask’s multi award-winning nanotechnology filter innovation filters down to 0.1 microns at 99% efficiency while providing a washable, fashionable, highly breathable, and fully customizable contour fit. “It is well recognized that the ‘fit’ is a critical aspect of a high-performance mask. The presence of gaps between the mask and facial contours found in common disposable masks will result in ‘leakage,’ reducing effectiveness in filtration efficiency by over 60%,” says Sky.
When asked how she was able to achieve these USA-tested lab results, Sky went on to explain how the filter’s proprietary non-toxic sonic-spinning nanotechnology sustainably made in New Zealand works. With an impressive 15 miles of electrospun nanofiber matrix present in each filter side, thousands of times thinner than a human hair, the media is able to block the transmission of 99% of the thousands of microscopic nano airborne particles produced when we talk, laugh, cough, sing and sneeze. “Considering these potentially virulent particles less than 2 microns in size have been proven to float in indoor environments up to 16 hours and travel over 20 feet, and up to 80% of Covid carriers can be asymptomatic, it is critical to wear a mask that can achieve these higher levels of efficiency,” says Sky. Unicorn’s replaceable nanotechnology filters are most effective at 24hrs of consistent indoor and 72hr outdoor use and are ideal for essential workers, allergy sufferers, those with autoimmune disease, chemical sensitivities and COPD respiratory diseases, cruise ships and frequent travelers. “We’re now getting recognized by leading bioscientists and are excited to be a part of the solution as climate change worsens,” Sky added.
When asked about the unique design behind UNICORN Mask? “Our veteran Milano Italian designer went above and beyond to address the common complaints of mask wearing. The robust 3-ply construction with a reinforced center ensures your mouth won’t suck in fabric when speaking, leaving room to easily breathe. Your glasses won’t fog when adjusted properly, thanks to the adjustable extra-wide non-rust metal nose piece. Zero chafing occurs behind the ears with the non-elastic, fully adjustable soft cloth ear loops. You won’t experience any bothersome maskne or facial markings due to our superior 350 thread count unbleached/undyed 100% GOTS Certified Organic Cotton inner layer. The wide spandex/cotton chin wrap for added seal is a true game changer, in addition to the fashionable styles you can choose from,” Sky said with excitement. All UNICORN masks are handmade in Bali by our team of women seamstresses and shipped efficiently from Solana Beach, CA.
Unicorn Breathing Mask is committed to sustainability and protecting the environment by going reusable, and takes great care in hand-selecting and curating only the purest, chemical-free sustainable fabrics and custom Balinese plant dyes. Our oceans were contaminated with an estimated 1.56 billion disposable, non-biodegradable face masks in 2020 alone based on a report released by marine conservation organization OceansAsia. This resulted in an additional 4,680 to 6,240 metric tons of toxic marine plastic pollution as evidenced in a report entitled “Masks on the Beach: The Impact of COVID-19 on Marine Plastic Pollution.” These masks will take as long as 450 years to break down, slowly turning into micro plastics that fish and ultimately humans will consume, while negatively impacting marine wildlife and ecosystems. We aim to fix that.
What was the main motivation behind this mask? “As Covid became increasingly threatening, I searched extensively for a healthy organic protection mask. I literally couldn’t breathe and felt sick in the N95. I observed people around me using anything from loosely tied bandanas to homemade 1-2 ply masks with random synthetic fabrics and zero added protection. I knew this wouldn’t hold up as the virus strengthened, particularly with variants. Additionally I started researching the carcinogenic dangerous heavy metals and pfas “forever chemicals” discovered in common disposable masks including the N95 and KN95 that fiber shed and end up in your lungs during normal wear. These studies can be found on our website. These chemicals also get released into our water supply when the mask gets wet. This was unacceptable to me, especially for our young children. Thus, Unicorn Breathing Mask adult and kids organic reusable masks were born. Mask awareness is becoming so important now. Why wear toxic synthetic chemical-doused Made in China masks over your face when you can wear a reusable that meets all of your health and protection needs? People also need to understand that most masks fiber shed over time and if your masks contains lead, antimony, mercury and pfas “forever chemicals,” you are inhaling these particles into your lungs as you wear the mask. It’s time to Breathe Pure and save our environment in the process.”
UnicornBreathingMask.com was awarded the Global Green Business Award in 2021 for Best Reusable Mask.
