Fashionable Pandemic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

I notice one of the Google AdSense links on my blog directs you to a site called Fashion Flu Masks. I was quite interested in seeing what this was all about and so I gave it a click:

The sites states that "We do not guarantee a Fashion Flu Mask alone will protect you from a pandemic flu, but it is a vital part of a flu defense package".

There is formal guidance regarding the use of masks in times of epidemic influenza as outlined by the CDC.

I requested specifications on the masks used. According to the maker, these are originally 3M N95 masks (which is a fairly standard multi-purpose mask for respiratory isolation). However, the designer specifically does not list this specification due to concerns regarding the ability to continue filtering at an N95 level after the decorating process.

These do look quite fun and I am struck by the creativity, although I would not personally recommend (over an original N95 mask) for any real outbreak of a respiratory infection.

I personally like the pink mask with the image of a bird shown to the right. Another quote from the site, "it's best to be prepared, but why not look stylish too?"