Mensura helps develop 100% Belgian-produced face masks for healthcare workers
High-quality FFP2 and FFP3 masks are essential for protecting healthcare and other professionals. Since November 2020, Medimundi of Turnhout has been producing high-quality face masks designed to meet the needs of the health and care sector and produced entirely in Belgium. Mensura has also done its part to support the effort by helping to test the prototypes.
Several million masks are expected to be produced each year, first and foremost for the health and care sector. “In developing the masks, we listened to the needs of healthcare workers,” explains David Germis, CEO of Medimundi. “After all, they need to wear the masks for longer periods of time.”
“Apart from comfort, we also focused on developing a high-quality filter that not only offers excellent protection, but also makes it easier to breathe. We then had Mensura test the prototypes. Thanks to our close cooperation, we could make changes to our designs almost immediately and, consequently, were able to apply for – and obtain – all necessary legal certifications quickly.”
Imported masks are rarely up to standard
“During and after the first wave of the pandemic, there was an acute shortage of quality face masks,” says Karine Eerdekens, Risk Control Manager at Mensura. “So Mensura started testing imported face masks using the government-approved alternative test protocol. The results were deplorable: only 16% met the standard requirements. This only led to a higher demand for domestically produced high-quality masks. Based on our experiences, we were able to provide initial feedback on the new type of masks produced by Medimundi.”