Republic of the Philippines

Seminario de Jesus Nazareno, Inc.

Diocese of Borongan

Borongan City, Eastern Samar

Project Proposal

“ProtoMask 2.0”

Sem. Chris Roland Cervantes Cada

Prototype Developers

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III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The increasing prevalence of infectious diseases in recent decades has posed a serious
threat to public health. Routes of transmission differ, but the respiratory droplet or airborne route
has the greatest potential to disrupt social intercourse, while being amenable to prevention by
the humble face mask. Different types of masks give different levels of protection to the user.
The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has even resulted in a global shortage of face masks and
the raw materials that go into them, driving individuals to self-produce masks from household
items. At the same time, research has been accelerated towards improving the quality and
performance of face masks, e.g., by introducing properties such as antimicrobial activity and
superhydrophobicity. This review will cover on developing a new high-technological face mask
that will help lessen the cause of obtaining large amount of pathogens to our bodies. Not as with
the traditional face masks that the world use right now, but this new face masks has different
and astonishing features that can be advantageous for Filipinos or even foreigners. As the
COVID-19 mutates also our health care equipment must also evolve and we can start this by
making our face masks more high-tech than the usual, (Prof. Ian Gonzaga, UP Biology). Above
all, the developers aimed to make the life of Filipino people more comfortable and convenient
amidst pandemic. The developers decided to make it a mask that is transparent, a mask that
can self-clean, and a mask that can be used for calling. These three special features have
brought the developers to make a new prototype of face mask. And with that the developers
named it ProtoMask 2.0.

IV. Project Description

Background

Emerging and re-emerging infections have emerged as a threat to human health in

recent decades. Given how interconnected the world is today, a pathogen capable of human-to-
human transmission can spark an outbreak far from where it originated. The virus causing the
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, for example, emerged in the Middle East but caused an
outbreak in Korea. The world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by the
SARS-CoV-2 virus. Lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed to halt the spread of COVID-19
have led to devastating economic repercussions. The control of an infectious disease is based
on knowledge of its mode of transmission. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the
novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which is transmitted largely by the respiratory route.

Effective communication has always been the key to all healthy relationships. During the
mandatory quarantine, many individuals are working from home with little to no face-to-face
interactions, except with their families. Tim Levine, Ph.D., chair and distinguished professor in
the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Communication Studies at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham, explains how the novel coronavirus pandemic has affected the way we
communicate and its critical impact on our daily communication skills.

“The most obvious changes are the most of us now have less face-to-face, in-person
interaction with others, and when we are face to face, we are wearing masks,” Levine said. “We
have less interaction overall with people outside of the people we live with, and we spend more
time on Zoom, Skype and other mediated platforms.”

Philippines, one of the high-risk countries from Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, recorded
the first death outside China. The government has announced lock-down of Metro Manila,
followed by the entire Luzon island and is mulling over more localised lock-downs. The
Philippine government declared a state of calamity in the country for six months on 17
March.During the lock-down, domestic transportation of all modes including land, air, and sea
are suspended. Residents are not allowed to leave their homes unless for emergencies. Large
gatherings, parties and concerts are banned.

Thousands of police officers and military personnel have been deployed to ensure that
citizens comply with the lock-down. Checkpoints have been placed at all entry points to Manila
to check people for temperatures with thermal scanners. Many Filipinos in return have
experienced a limitation of freedom from this pandemic. There are some studies stating that
Most of the Filipinos have hard times during this pandemic.

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And so, given that there are really negative and bad effects of the COVID-19 to the
Filipinos and around the world. The developers have decided to make up a new version of high-
technological face mask to which it can suffice the need of the Filipino nowadays. They planned
it thoroughly, has searched on different studies of different types of high-technological face
masks from different Science-Technology Company. Through it, the developers have adopted
two special features from different developers and these are:

Masks that is TRANSPARENT.

Transparent or See-through masks were created by the Redcliffe Medical Devices in

Michigan; the masks are packed with features that make them both effective and user friendly.
Mask-wearers have complained that, because typical cotton or paper masks block their mouths,
the masks can inhibit both verbal and nonverbal communication and make it particularly difficult
to use facial recognition technology. To address those issues, RDM is developing a rubber, see-
through face covering called Leaf Mask.

The Leaf Mask, which was the first see-through mask to be registered with FDA,
includes an exhaust valve that releases air when the wearer exhales, a carbon filter for odor
removal, a HEPA filter that removes small microns and a UVC light for self-cleaning purposes.
The Leaf Mask model even comes with an app that lets the wearer control the mask’s
ventilation.

Masks that can SELF-CLEAN.

During the coronavirus pandemic, masks, once relegated to specific professions, are
quickly becoming commonplace. Not all masks are the same. Filtering face piece respirators,
commonly referred to as N95 masks, are regulated by the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health. To help meet growing demand for these masks, and other
alternatives, Honeywell has increased production at multiple facilities globally.

Here is a breakdown of what an N95 mask is:

N: This is a Respirator Rating Letter Class. It stands for “Non-Oil” meaning that if no oil-based
particulates are present, then you can use the mask in the work environment. Other masks
ratings are R (resistant to oil for 8 hours) and P (oil proof).

95: Masks ending in a 95, have a 95 percent efficiency. Masks ending in a 99 have a 99 percent
efficiency. Masks ending in 100 are 99.97 percent efficient and that is the same as a HEPA
quality filter.

.3 microns: The masks filter out contaminants like dusts, mists and fumes. The minimum size
of .3 microns of particulates and large droplets won’t pass through the barrier, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.)

Material: The filtration material on the mask is an electrostatic non-woven polypropylene fiber.

Valve: Some disposable N95 masks come with an optional exhalation valve. “The presence of
an exhalation valve reduces exhalation resistance, which makes it easier to breathe (exhale,)”
according to the CDC.

These two features of face masks stated above were adopted by the developers and
added it into their prototype mask.

Masks that can be used for CALLING.

Masks are essential nowadays they are used for protection from the COVID-19 virus and
it is already a norm for the Filipinos to wear a mask for their own safety. Given that people wear

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masks every day, the developers took an advantage on it to see if they could invent a new
element that could be added to our traditional masks. They decided to add it with more of a
unique element that can be used for many Filipinos nowadays. As it goes, they designed a new
mask that can be used for long distance call to other people. Instead of getting mobile phones
from their pockets, now they can just speak easily from their mouths because they are already
using masks every day when they go out.

The developers wanted it to be clear that this mask is just a supplementary from their
mobile phone devices. Because if their mobile phones is already low-battery then they can use
their masks for communication.

OVERALL PURPOSE

PROJECT WORK PLAN

HUMAN RESOURCES

PROJECT MONITORING

PROPOSED BUDGET

V. DEVELOPER’S PROFILE

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