New Copper-Infused Face Mask Developed to Improve Protection for Tourism Frontliners, Entire Hospitality Industry

The hospitality and tourism industry is a frequently overlooked sector of every country during the pandemic. The customer service frontliners, like any other profession that functions throughout the surge of COVID-19, are at risk of the virus as they are in contact with various people. Whether they are behind hotel concierge or restaurant reservation posts, the hospitality front liners tirelessly give their best customer relations.

Face Mask: Pros and Cons

The SARS-CoV-2 delta and lambda variants have significantly increased the coronavirus cases in every country. Along with the new pandemic wave, every business, including the hospitality and tourism sector, is experiencing staffing issues due to the strict safety protocols and evident risk of the coronavirus. The employment rate is still on the verge of decline, and more people become jobless.

Face masks, on the other hand, is the best and most efficient way to fight the spread of COVID-19. Along with taking vaccines, masking up is the safest solution to prevent the increasing transmission rates of the deadly virus. However, face masks have become an irritating and sometimes a hurting material, considering that we have been putting them on our faces for a while now.

West Virginia University's Hospitality and Technology Lab director Ajay Aluri said that the face masks, even though a medium of protection, is a wear and tear material. Sometimes, it even inflicts uncomfortable situations such as rashes on our faces.

Copper-Infused Face Mask

Copper, according to Aluri, could be the solution we are looking for. Combining the element's high antimicrobial composition with the concept of a face mask could produce a better version of aerosol protection. According to a report by The Hans India, Aluri theorizes that face masks will become more comfortable and safer than the surgical masks we use today with copper.

Aluri hails from India, and the expert knows what coppers are capable of as the element is widely known in the country for having special properties against bacteria. Since people use copper materials daily for cooking and fashion, Aluri said that the element could also be beneficial against COVID-19. Experts decided to create a new face mask that contains copper, also called the Hygenmask.

Hygenmask is a copper-infused face mask developed by the HIT lab. The project is initially directed to provide the hospitality and tourism industry efficient protection against COVID-19. According to WVU, Hygenmask has three layers with distinct compositions. The first filter is a fabric with copper-infused nano-coating. Next to it is a polytetrafluoroethylene ePTFE biomaterial fabric. The last filter contains a sustainable fabric made from bamboo. In addition to the comprehensive layers of the mask, Hygenmask has a customizable elastic loop that goes overhead, a feature that seems to be better than the surgical mask's ear loop.

WVU HIT Lab exhibited an appreciation for the hospitality and tourism industry by developing the copper mask. The success of the Hygenmask project was made possible by the initial study called Hygenkey conducted by Aluri and his team back in 2020.

Based on the examinations conducted by the Center for Inhalation Toxicology iTOX in the WVU School of Medicine, Hygenmask was able to block up to 93 percent of droplets directed to it. iTOX is a respected institute known for testing other types of masks, including N95 alternatives and double masks.

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