Tokyo, Japan, December 9, 2020 - Xenoma, a leading smart apparel startup, announced that they conducted an experiment to measure the oxygen level inside a mask to see how a user can wear a mask in their daily lives.

Xenoma has donated 40,000 cloth masks to kindergartens and elderly nursing homes as well as providing them for sale through its online store. The masks are manufactured within the country. Among them, the “Cool E. Mask” has particularly excellent ventilation performance and a great number of feedbacks tells us that they are “easy to breathe in” even when exercising or giving a lecture.

As the reason for the “easy to breathe” feature should be related to the oxygen level for the user, Xenoma carried out an experiment to measure the oxygen level inside a mask while at rest and while running. The oxygen level is 21% in the atmosphere, and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set 18% as the safety lower limit. Inhaling oxygen-deficient air can lead to dizziness and loss of consciousness, as well as loss of concentration.

In the experiment, 8 types of masks have been tested. 2 types of cloth masks "Soft E. Mask" and "Cool E. Mask" produced by Xenoma, 2 types of non-woven masks, and 4 types of cloth masks which are popularly sold in the market for breathability and coolness, were tested.

As a result, with 6 types of masks excluding the 2 Xenoma masks, the average oxygen value was observed to be 18.3% or less both while at rest and while running, and the oxygen level was often below the safety lower limit of 18%. Xenoma's "Cool E. Mask" secures an oxygen level of 19% or more both when at rest and when running. "Soft E. Mask" has an oxygen level of less than 18% when running, however, maintained at 19% or higher when at rest.

As the COVID-19 infection rates rise again and the Winter exam season is coming to Japan, there will be more cases where a mask is required in situations where concentration is required. Xenoma has also carried out the measurement with the cooperation of Associate Professor Masanori Ota of the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University and it was observed that the cough splashing distance in front was about 20 cm when the "Cool E. Mask" is worn.

These results show that the mask plays a good role in preventing others from becoming infected regardless of its breathability. Xenoma will continuously tackle social issues caused by the Covid-19 infection as a company aiming to utilize health care data for preventive medicine as well as to improve quality of life for consumers.

About Xenoma

Xenoma develops the next-generation smart apparel ‘e-skin’ to provide well-being and happiness in your daily life. Tracking various data anytime and anywhere on the whole body, e-skin is one of the most ideal interfaces to monitor activities and vital signs. The special flexibility and comfort of the e-skin technology makes it possible to track and capture the user’s natural and unhindered performance.