There is an urgent need to find methods to reduce the discomfort caused by suspended pollutants in the atmosphere during pollen seasons with concurrent influenza circulation, which refers to a temporal overlap period (typically late spring in the temperate continental monsoon climate zone of northern China, such as Xi’an). During this type of season, the atmospheric environment undergoes specific changes in temperature, humidity, and air movement, which not only affect the survival, proliferation, and diffusion of planktonic microorganisms but also lead to the widespread suspension of pollen in the atmosphere. These factors collectively increase the complexity and harmfulness of atmospheric pollutants, posing a severe threat to human health, especially for vulnerable groups such as rhinitis patients. This study tested three types of commonly used fiber material masks to determine their filtration characteristics when filtering atmospheric particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1.0) and planktonic microorganisms, as well as their comfort. The results showed that N95 masks were the most effective, followed by surgical and sponge masks. Under different work intensities, the filtration efficiency of N95 masks were 16.32~23.38% and 35.93~37.91% higher than those of surgical and sponge masks for PM10; 12.32~16.81% and 26.84~33.16% for PM2.5; and 17.41~21.85% and 40.57~45.36% for PM1.0, respectively. The largest difference in filtration efficiency was observed for 0–0.615 μm particles, which is mainly related to the mask’s material and protective effect, and is also closely associated with the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric particulate matter in this particle size range. N95 masks were able to filter planktonic microorganisms in the atmosphere, while sponge masks could not. Regarding the comfort level, the ranking was sponge masks > surgical masks > N95 masks. Therefore, based on comprehensive performance, it is recommended that patients with rhinitis and other conditions use N95 masks during pollen seasons with concurrent influenza circulation to effectively block harmful atmospheric pollutants. Individuals without rhinitis can choose surgical masks or sponge masks according to their comfort needs. This study provides data support for the rational use of fiber material masks in the context of atmospheric pollution during pollen seasons with concurrent influenza circulation and offers a reference for improving the performance of mask products in atmospheric pollutant filtration.
Zhang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.