The Girona Medical Association, with the Eurecat technology centre and the Stimulo product-design agency, among others, has created a reusable mask that can be equipped with FFP2 or FFP3 filters to ensure the safety of professionals in healthcare and industrial environments during future Covid-19 outbreaks. Both Eurecat and Stimulo are CataloniaBio & HealthTech members.
The mask, called Aleu in honour of Dr Dolors Aleu i Riera, is currently being tested by the Aitex laboratory for approval.
The goal “is to provide PPE that offers maximum protection, can be recycled and is reusable in order to avoid over-taxing the supply chain if there is another outbreak,” explains Girona Medical Association President Josep Vilaplana.
The Aleu mask is made of thermoplastic material, can be disinfected after each use and manufactured using large-scale injection, 3D printing or a combination of the two. It also improves breathability.
Director of the Eurecat Transversal Laboratory Agustí Chico notes, “We’ve been in contact with countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe to make this product available to them during this pandemic. It is already being used in Chile through the FreeBreath project.” Chico recently participated in the Lessons Learned debate forum on strategic decisions in the life sciences in light of the challenge of Covid-19, hosted by CataloniaBio & HealthTech.
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