Breathing mask

A breathing mask is a mask that covers the mouth, and usually other parts of the face or head, designed to direct the wearer's breath to and/or from a particular apparatus. It may mean, or be part of, one of these:

• Medical treatment
  • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
    • Bag valve mask, a device used in resuscitation of non-breathing casualties, optionally using supplementary oxygen.
    • Pocket CPR mask, a simpler mask used for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation; easier to carry than bag valve masks
  • Supplying altered air
    • Built-in breathing system (BIBS) mask, an oro-nasal mask providing treatment, decompression, or emergency gas in a hyperbaric chamber
    • Non-rebreather mask, an oro-nasal mask used in medicine to assist in the delivery of oxygen therapy
    • Oxygen mask, which covers the mouth and nose of a patient undergoing oxygen therapy as first aid or longer-term treatment, or a passenger in an aircraft which has depressurised at altitude
  • Continuous positive airway pressure mask
  • Anesthetic mask

• Infection control
  • Surgical mask, also known as a procedure mask, is intended to be worn by health professionals during surgery, to protect the patient from being infected by the surgeon's breath.
  • Cloth mask; early surgical masks were cloth. Cloth masks are also used for protection in pandemics.
  • Respirators (see below) may also be used for infection control

• Respirator, a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling harmful dusts, fumes, vapors or gases
  • Air-filtering respirators
    • Dust mask, a flexible pad held over the nose and mouth by elastic or rubber straps to protect against dusts encountered during construction or cleaning activities. Usually uncertified, and thus not considered a "respirator" in some jurisdictions.
    • Filtering facepiece respirator, a stiffish dome of filter material fitting over the nose, cheeks, and chin. May look like some dust masks, but is certified.
    • Elastomeric respirator, made of rubbery elastomer, usually reusable with disposable filters. May protect against particulates, gasses, or both, depending on the filters used.
      • Gas masks in conflict, elastomeric respirators designed to protect the user from toxic gases in conflicts
      • Early smoke-mask respiratorss for firefighters (similar to diving helmets, but with air-filtering)
  • Air-supply respirators; see also Breathing set (disambiguation)
    • SCBA mask, or BA mask, a full face mask covering the mouth, nose and eyes of a person wearing self-contained breathing apparatus
      • Rebreather mask
    • Underwater breathing masks
      • Full face snorkelling mask, a watertight mask with integrated air passages allowing the user to breathe atmospheric air while swimming face-down at the surface of the water
      • Diving mask and full face diving mask, watertight masks covering the mouth, nose and (in the latter case) eyes, allowing the wearer to breathe underwater from a self-contained or surface-supplied breathing gas supply
      • Diving helmet, covering the entire head in a dome of air.

• By coverage
  • Quarter-mask or orinasal mask, covering the mouth and nose only
  • Half-mask (disambiguation), from below the eyes to below the chin
  • Fullface mask, from above the eyes to below the chin