Contact me by private message. I could special order them for you.

http://www.countycomm.com has them individually wrapped for $1.50. The only problem is if you look around their website you might just have to buy 2 of everything they have. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thats really weird.
I am fairly certain they are labeled "not for individual sale".
Don't know if they are breaking any laws...

If protecting yourself during an avian flu or other pandemic is the reason for the N95 mask, just remember that you'll need at least one mask for each day you'll be around other people. And pandemics often come in several waves, with each wave lasting potentially weeks, so you'd need a lot of masks.

But even putting the supply issue aside, just so you know, there isn't any good research out there on the use of masks by average people during disease outbreaks. If you're in a hospital or laboratory setting, gown up, get fitted for a mask, take them off properly and wash your hands, etc. then they should provide some protection. But out in the real world where the "3 second rule" applies to food dropped on the floor? It's questionable that they will help as much as people hope for. You should search for other threads we've had in the past about masks for other comments.

But since you're in California, they'll also make wonderful, but expensive, dust masks in case the Big One reduces our cities to big mounds of concrete dust. Or in case the wind blows smoke from wildfires your way. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I've got some Isolation Masks here that are marked "99% EFF at .1 Microns" and I did use one during a wildfire; it made a huge difference.

Honestly, that was my initial thought.. Well maybe not the big one.. But after seeing 9/11 (moved out to CA a month before), it made me realize how unprepared people are, or rather I was. Listening to a popular song, forget the name, but there was a quote that I live by to this day "too late to learn to swim when you start to drown".

I don't ever want to be unprepared. Sorry to digress...

But my initial thoughts for the mask is in the EDC in the event of a building collapse. If trapped, at least there's something that can reduce the stress or discomfort. The bird flu, etc is more of an added bonus feature. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Before you buy too many N95 masks, you may want to try wearing one for a number of hours. If being trapped in a building collapse is the scenario you're mostly thinking about, then you will likely be stuck for hours, if not days. High filtration masks like an N95 take some effort to breathe through and could fatigue you eventually. Just the discomfort/effort could make you take it off in your sleep unintentionally.

The valve helps make things easier on the exhale, but does nothing for the inhale. If the mask doesn't fit that well, then maybe the respiratory effort won't be too bad. Or you might just consider getting more run-of-the-mill dust masks which should work fine, are cheap, and are easy to breathe through. I can't say for certain, but I doubt that rubble and splintered wood involves much sub-micron size particulates in the air anyway. Actually, dust may clog up an N95 mask pretty quickly compared to a dust mask, making it even harder to breathe than it already is. Anyway, just a thought.

Oh, but wildfires do generate extremely tiny soot particles, so you can still go ahead and buy them for that purpose. As RAS posted, it worked great in smoke for him. Any excuse to buy cool stuff to be prepared, right? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Just one word of caution the n95 is for bacteria it is a .3 microns mask and a virus will go right through it. Most viruses are around .003 microns in size. The only hope an n95 has of filtering anything is if it is stuck to a spit globule.

I found a filter that should against guard aviruses. It is called a Nanomaks and is deactivates the virus as it passes through the filter with a 99% efficiency.. It looks like it is ten bucks for the mask and a buck a piece for the filter.

For what it is worth.

Home page:

http://www.emergencyfiltration.com/

Virusses them self don't fly around in air. They are carried in tiny droplets. A N95 mask is able to stop these droplets up to a very high percentage, thus giving you protection. A N100 (or was it N99?) mask will have slightly beter performance than the N95.

For the europeans here:
FFP2 is similair, but NOT identical to the N95
FFP3 is similair, but NOT identical to the N100

Redflare, 3M makes individual sale packing 9211 & 9210 now, they may always have but they are popping up everywhere since 9/11 and the more recent "Bird Flu" scares.

We have switched to the 9210 at work and they are much better than so many others we have tried. Their packaging makes sure that they are clean and undamaged when needed and are easy to carry.

I like Country Comm. and have bought a bunch of stuff form them, great company! But, BUY FROM REDFLARE he has been a great contributor to the site and has invested in ETS by paying for advertising?
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