As of 03/29/06 (today for me) there is NO pandemic! Various county, state and national health departments are recommending that each of us begin preparation for what MAY become a pandemic from the "bird flu" in Asia. It will most likely be a exercise similar to Y2K. An exercise in preparation! Since the consequences of not preparing could be severe at a personal level, it seems appropriate to at least do the easy and least expensive portions.
If, like me, you have allergies, you will find that the equipment listed below WILL be very beneficial around the house during your Spring cleanup activities. Therefore it becomes prudent to prepare for the pandemic, hoping it doesn't happen, yet knowing that the preparation will have produced worth while benefits in your home.
One thing for those with facial hair: If the hair on your face interferes with the seal of the mask to your face, the protection afforded by the mask will be minimal!
The minimum filtration level recommended to handle the bird flu contagions is the N95. This is a "non oil" filtration mask (will not work effectively against oily sprays). The R95 filtration level will handle oily sprays but costs twice as much.
Some links that will help you understand what - MAY - happen:
The primary item recommended for each of us is an N95 respirator or mask. These are available at many local (to the majority of us) stores. The cost for disposable filter masks ranges from $1.00 to $3.00 each depending on where/when and in what quantities you get them. The mask with exhalation valve (recommended by most health departments) run from $2.00 to $5.00 each.
There are also several rubber masks, using N95 or higher filtration, that are available at local stores. These range from the "Woodworkers" as lowest price, to those that will handle asbestos fibers (obviously the most expensive). ALL of these that have the N95 rating will do what you need. The advantage to these masks is that they have replaceable N95 filters included AND are much more comfortable for extended use.
"AOSafety" has a large number of options available, yet can be found at such places as Sears and Home Depot, thus making it easier for most of us to prepare. The best prices I have found online is at Amazon.com (no I don't get a cut - sigh).
NOTE: If you do not use Internet Exploder (IE) as your browser,
you WILL have problems placing an order with Amazon.com.
In addition, if you purchase more than $25.00 worth of product, Amazon
will pay for 5-9 day shipping. For 3-5 day shipping you pay $5.49
for the shipping. WARNING: AMAZON.com does not tell you
that the five to nine days STARTS after they begin their processing
which can be almost TWO WEEKS after you place the order!
My order took fifteen days, with only two of those days the result of
UPS. I THINK AMAZON.com HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRUTH!