INNOVATIONS: Japanese firms develop ways to cool facewmasks.p

(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From masks with ice packs to cooling sprays, products designed to make wearing a coronavirus-protective face covering more bearable in sweltering summer heat have become a hit in Japan.

Wearing a face mask outdoors has become mandatory in many cities as governments seek to contain the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 800,000 people around the world.

But medical experts have warned rising temperatures also mean rising potential for heat illnesses, particularly when wearing a face covering, as this summer shapes up to be one of the hottest on record.

Tapping into demand for solutions to both problems, Japanese firms have launched items aimed at keeping mask wearers cooler, with sports brand Descente introducing a face covering that comes with cooling packs.

“We wanted to do what we could in our current environment, where wearing a mask has become mandatory because of the wide spread of COVID-19 infection” said Tomoko Kitazawa, a spokeswoman at Descente, best known for its ski apparel.

The company’s mask “is recommended not only for people who play sports but also for people who work outside”, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by email. ...

A spray for face masks that can create a cooling effect that lasts about 15 minutes also has nearly sold out since its launch last month, said its maker Big Bio, which produces household items. ...

A mint spray by Kitami Hakka Tsusho, a company known for its mint products, similarly has enjoyed blistering sales, as buyers use it to cool face masks, its makers said on social media. ..

Matthew Levy, an expert at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said people wearing masks in hot conditions should take frequent short breaks and stay hydrated.

But he cautioned against products that tout cooling benefits but might reduce the effectiveness of a mask.

“In theory, these products might offer benefit,” said Levy, an associate professor of emergency medicine, in an email.

“However, there’s a difference between using a product such as a cooling vest or pack to minimise the risk of heat illness versus applying a spray to a mask that’s not designed to get wet or tested for effectiveness when wet,” he added. ...