The Antipollution Mask

Sweden apparently has great air. Like “top countries in the world with the cleanest air” kind of great. It’s so good that when Alexander Hjertstrom moved to India from his home city of Stockholm in 2014, his long-gone asthma came back.

Hjertstrom’s solution was to wear an antipollution breathing mask. But to his surprise, most of the masks on the market were “primitive and far from perfect in their construction, and their designs were reminiscent of the ones worn by dentists or miners”, he said. “Not something you would want to wear every day.”

When he went home, he discussed this problem with his friends Fredrik Kempe, Johannes Herrmann and Mehdi Rejraji. “Not everyone gets to breathe clean and healthy air, and we want to do something about it.” So they co-founded Airinum, a company that empowers individuals to have clean air with “innovative products that are functional yet designed for urban citizens all over the world”.

Their first product: the perfect breathing mask for everyday use. One that is aesthetically pleasing (um, in a Scandinavian way), comfortable to wear, and as effective as an N95. “We redesigned the mask – from scratch,” says Hjertstrom.

Moving away from industry-type respirators and flamboyant designs that offered poor protection, Airinum’s mask combines high-end filtering technology with a universal fit. “We first talked to leading experts from the air-quality industry to make sure we sourced cutting- edge filter media – our version has received support from world-class filter media producer Camfil. Then, we crafted our own unique shape in five sizes to fit any type of face.”

The Urban Breathing Mask was launched two months ago at www. airinum.com. “All sizes come with adjustable ear loops and an elastic binding around the whole mask, so it seals smoothly around the face. To make it easy to breathe in, we equipped it with two custom-made exhalation valves. They are essential to let warm, moist air out so you can breathe comfortably for as long as you want.”

To make the product reusable and suitable for different contexts but still hygienic, each mask comes with two changeable filters (extra filters can be bought from the site in packs of three, eight and 15) and a washable skin. “Whenever the mask feels hard to breathe in or gets dirty, just change the filter and wash the skin, and the Urban Breathing Mask will feel like new again.”.