Beijing air and air filter mask

That’s the question that Beijing TimeOut set off to find out..

“There are many wonderful things about Beijing, but the air isn’t one of them. Even on a supposedly blue-sky day, air-quality index (AQI) readings for particulate matter (PM) of 2.5 micrometres – those small enough to get into the bloodstream and do damage to the respiratory system – can be in the hundreds. On really bad days, the AQI pushes past the 500 limit; a level that’s officially ‘hazardous’ or ‘beyond index’, but now known locally (thanks to a mischievous tweet from the US Embassy) as ‘crazy bad’.”

Although the risk is not as high as some people may think, there are certain groups of people should take note and avoid going out on “bad air day”, these includes children (especially infant and toddlers), patients with asthma or chronic coughs, or people with pre-conditions that make them susceptible heart attack or stroke.

When it comes to air filter mask for protection, this is what Dr Richard Saint Cyr, a family medicine doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital said:

‘Don’t just get a surgical mask,’ says Dr Saint Cyr. ‘The best ones are rated N95, which literally means 95 percent of air particles smaller than PM0.3 are filtered out. The Respro cycling masks work really well, but personally I like the Totobobo masks.’

Read more at TimeOut Beijing

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Q Air app for real time air quality in China

Isn’t the bunny cute? This is no a cartoon series but it is the brainchild of our TaoBao dealer in Beijing. This lovely bunny will be incorporated in the mobile app “Q Air”. The app “Q Air” gives advice of what you need to wear before going out door. It cost ¥6.00 and can be download from here: http://www.qairapp.com/cn/

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Pastel painting by Jackie Simmonds

If you are interested in pastel painting, you will be interested in this blog called “Jackie Simmonds Artyfacts”. Jackie Simmonds, an artist, art instruction author, tutor. Her prints published and distributed worldwide. She is also a regular contributor to the popular Artist Magazine in UK.

We are very pleased that Jackie recently posted a review of Totobobo mask and she is now a regular user of Totobobo because she like it a lot!

She explained why a dust mask is necessary:
“There are two fundamental characteristics of the pastel medium that make it dangerous to inhale: the small particle size of the dust and the toxicity of the pigments. Pastel dust consists of extremely fine particles of both pigments and binders. When the dust is inhaled, some particles will deposit in the upper respiratory system. But more harmfully, a significant portion of the pastel dust particles, especially those from pigments, are small enough to get deep into the lungs’ air sacs (alveoli), where they may remain indefinitely.”

Then she went on to talk about Totobobo mask:
“I tried various masks, and felt claustrophobic in most of them. Then, I read about the TOTOBOBO mask, used by other pastellists. I now own one of these masks, and use it regularly. I thought I would mention it here, and give you the link to the website where you can view a variety of pictures, you can even download a mask simulator which will give you an idea whether the mask would fit your face or not, and you can read a variety of reviews.”

Click here to read more at her blog.

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Totobobo mask is now available at Taobao now.

This Taobao shop is from the first official online dealer (totobobobeijing.com) in China. You can obtain detailed information about Totobobo in Chinese. Furthermore, if you are located in Beijing and purchase from there, you shall receive your mask earlier than before. Now if you order one mask and 5 pairs of F96 filters together, delivery charge will be waived. Don’t miss the chance!

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We are back! Business as usual.

Totobobo team wish you a healthy and happy 2012.

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It’s holiday time and we are taking a break traveling.

New orders will be sent by December 30 and most likely arrive in mid-January, 2012.

Thanks for your support and we wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Bert Leatherman wearing Totobobo mask in Sao Paulo

From time to time we receive feedback from our users. It is always a pleasure to read these feedback, whether they are positive or not. For example, on November 30, 2011, Bert sent the following to us:

“Looks like your mask works great! Here’s a photo of a filter (compared to a new one) after 3 days’ use for 1-2 hours per day on the streets of Sao Paulo. Feel free to publish this photo anywhere you’d like. Thanks! Bert

Bert's filter after about 5 hours of walking in Sao Paulo

Soon after, Bert send another mail concerning about the fit around the nose bridge. Since more people may be interested here is listed his question and our answer:

Bert: Any ideas for improving the seal around my nose? Air leaks in beside the bridge of my nose a bit when I inhale. Thanks!

Francis: Regarding the slight gap near to the nose brdige, you may try to use the nose-rest of your sun glasses to press on the mask to help to close it.

There may also other ways to trim the mask so that it fits better. But I’d need a few good quality, close up photos showing the problem situation now in order to give our advice.

To clarify, Bert uses the Totobobo mask just for walking, not cycling. The grey pollutant trapped on the filter could be worst if he was cycling and breathe more heavily. In any case, the filter shows a lot of pollutants would have entered his airways and lungs if not for the protection of the filter.

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One in three Americans suffer from hypertension, a significant health problem that can lead to cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke, diabetes and other life-threatening problems. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have determined that the very air we breathe can be an invisible catalyst to cardiovascular disease.

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2011-10-10 from http://www.weibo.com/daniudaifu
By Dr. Richard St. Cyr in Beijing

The best reusable N95 mask I have seen is from Totobobo.com. It’s clear plastic with small reusable filters, really easy to switch. You can buy them on their website at totobobo.com http://t.cn/aFymff or in Beijing at the Torana stores, their website is http://t.cn/aFPNew

Dr. Richard St Cyr in Beijing

Weibo is a popular micro-blog platform in China.

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Steve of Srollsaw workshop testing Totobobo mask

I heard about Steve through his informative blog of Scrollsaw Workshop. Steve did a good review of Dust Bee Gone back in April 2010. He likes the Dust Bee Gone:

“The mask comes in three sizes so you can find a good fit. It has a double strap design that is fully adjustable and a mold-able wire nose piece. Fit is obviously an important consideration to get a good seal from the dust. After adjusting my Dust Bee Gone it fits great and is by far the most comfortable mask I have used.

I have only worn the mask for a short time but I am thrilled to report it does not fog my glasses at all. I am feeling comfortable that I can wear this dust mask without the need to rip it off in the middle of a job. A dust mask is only useful if you will wear it so this test is looking good so far.”

I was curious how Steve would feel about Totobobo mask. I send him an email and ask if he would be interested to review Totobobo. Gladly he did! After testing he posted a quick review in the Scrollsawwworkshop blog:

“So far I like this mask. This will probably be my go to mask for emptying my dust collector. I get a large amount of dust in the air during the process and this mask seals better than my Dust Be Gone. If it filters the dust as well as I think it will then I might give this mask a slight edge over the Dust Bee Gone.”

We didn’t pay Steve anything except providing the mask for him to evaluate. We also agree that he may decided not to do a review if he don’t feel like it. Steve want to share his honest opinion because he feel protection from dust is a serious matter, as he say:

“Everyone should be aware of the dangers of breathing the dust from our saws. Exposure to wood dust has long been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including dermatitis, allergic respiratory effects, mucosal and nonallergic respiratory effects, and cancer. It needs to be taken serious. Some people will see symptoms almost immediately while others might work for years before they realize their health has been affected.”

Thanks to Steve’s review, I notice a rush of orders from the scrollsawerworkshop readers. They are not only scroll saw hobbyist, but also other woodworking related field such as woodturning, and wood crafting. Many of them said they want to try Totobobo after reading Steve’s review. To me it is clear that Steve’s blog is highly trusted and regarded by his thousands of subscribers. You can find FREE scroll saw patterns, video demonstrations, scroll saw links, reviews, and much more. Steve’s website is mainly supported by donation and the subscription is free.

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