The Knitting Fair was informed that after cases have occurred in Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal, the prices of local masks have risen exaggerated. The unit price of FFP2 masks sold in pharmacies has reached 300 euros.
Under strong demand, the price of masks in local online channels has also skyrocketed. The price of 60 packs of masks sold by Chinese sellers on the local Amazon website has reached 960 Euros. The price of 50 packs sold by sellers in Hong Kong, China has also reached 800 euros.
U.S .: Mask prices rise sharply
The United States currently has 30 million N95 medical masks in stock, but it is estimated that the United States needs 300 million masks, and there is still a gap of 270 million.
At present, major online e-commerce platforms such as Amazon have been out of stock, and offline pharmacies have also been out of stock. The reporter ran many offline pharmacies and couldn't buy masks. The American people interviewed by the reporter said that the price of local masks was too high. Outrageous, five $ 149, and many pharmacies are out of stock, so customers can't buy such a high price.
According to KHOU, a CBS-affiliated television station in the US, an N95 mask costs between $ 20 and $ 25 at the Holcombe Medical Device Store. The person in charge said that the price increase was due to a shortage of masks.
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Japan: Customers grab masks, disputes occur
According to the Japan Current Affairs Agency, with the spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the supply of masks across Japan is seriously insufficient. Although Japanese mask manufacturers have tripled their production capacity, they still cannot meet the needs of the people.
At the entrance of many drugstores, people can be seen waiting in a long line to buy masks, and even some customers have disputes over buying masks.
On February 25, fighting at the entrance of a drug store in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, was triggered by grabbing a mask. On the same day, many people lined up before the drug store opened. According to the video shooter, it seemed that someone was going to cut in at the time, and there was an argument.
South Korea: No masks available
In Seoul, South Korea, there are long queues to buy masks. Although many people arrived early in the morning, they were unable to buy masks in the end. Some people had disputes with the shop assistants, and some people were crying. The epidemic situation continues to escalate, and the people's discoloration has caused "mask panic."
According to the Yonhap news agency, the 57-year-old Korean Kim turned to the post office and other public sales outlets in order to purchase a mask, but eventually found nothing. She cried with tears: "Yesterday I waited with my husband for more than an hour and did not buy a mask I'm so sad. I'm very weak in immunity, I'm taking immune medicine, and I don't have a lifeline-like mask. I'm very angry and depressed.
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French government announces: National masks requisitioned!
On March 4, the French government issued a decree requiring that all public legal persons and privately held and produced FFP2 (equivalent to domestic N95) respiratory protective masks and medical disposable masks be requisitioned by May 31.
Macron has released a message through social networks that "we will requisition all protective masks produced and stocked and distribute them to medical staff and French people infected with the new coronavirus". French Minister of Health Vélange said on the same day that France has now put 10 million medical masks into pharmacies across the country, and will use 15 to 20 million stock masks this week as the case may be. The French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Lemaire also said that France "has no supply problems and no risk of shortages".
However, protective products such as masks in French general pharmacies have long been out of stock, and some stock prices have increased several times. Recently, mask theft cases have occurred in hospitals in Nice, Marseille, Paris and other places.
Iran: Masks up 30 times
In Iran, masks are now expensive. The current price of masks is 330,000 Iranian rials, and a mask has risen 30 times. In addition, not only masks, many supermarkets in Deland have been sold out in the past two days.
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Italy: Masks up 100 times
The Italian "24 Hours of the Sun" reported that an Italian professional medical mask company specializing in the production of respiratory protection said that the company ran out of 10 years of mask inventory in 10 days and received orders for tens of millions of masks every day. Today, in the windows of many pharmacies in northern Italy, all they can see are posted notices-"masks sold out."
For some countries, the good news can be said to follow! China's meltblown cloth increased production, mask production capacity exceeded 100 million, effectively alleviating the market shortage!
At present, the price of non-woven fabrics for masks has skyrocketed. According to daily quotations, the price of meltblown non-woven fabrics purchased by some manufacturers has risen as high as 1233%.
Source: Global Textile Network
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In the last article, Cardigan Fair mentioned the basics of wool. There are two major sources of shrinkage in wool-containing fabrics, which may be encountered during laundering: relaxation and felting shrinkage.
Physical properties
Crimps: Wool fibre is more or less wavy and has twisted. This waviness is termed as ‘crimp’. Finer the wool the more will be the crimps in it. Merino wool has 30 crimps per inch while coarse wool has one or two.
Effect of friction: Friction will soften the wool fibre especially when wet and thus is advantageous in maintaining smooth, soft texture of fabrics.
Effect of heat: Low heat has no effect but strong heat weakens the fibre and destroys the colour of the fibre.
Effect of moisture: Wool is the most hygroscopic in nature. It can absorb up to 50% of its weight and carry up to 20% weight, without giving the feeling of being wet. Upon drying it losses moisture slowly preventing rapid evaporation thus avoiding chilling feel to the user. It absorbs perspiration after violent exercise and guards the body against the sudden change in temperature.
Felting: Wool fibres interlock and contract when exposed to heat, moisture, and pressure. The scale-like the exterior of the fibres contributes to felting. The fibres get softened in weak alkaline solutions due to the expansion of scales at their free edges, with friction and pressure they again interlock to form a felt. This property is used in making felts for hats, shoes, floor-coverings and soundproofing purposes.
Heat conductivity: Wool fibre is a part is a poor conductor of heat and therefore the fabrics made from the fibre are considered most suitable as winter wear.
Resiliency: Wool is highly resilient and comes to its original shape when hanged after wrinkled or created.
Strength: It is stronger than silk. When wet wool loses about 25% of its strength. Longer the fibre the greater will be the strength of the yarn.
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Stretchability: Wool is highly elastic. It is about 10 to 30% stretched when dry and 40 to 50% when wet upon receiving pressure upon drying it readily regains its original dimensions.
Shrink-ability: Wool is resistant to shrinkage. However long exposure to moisture may cause shrinkage.
Chemical properties
Wool is resistant to acid, whereas cotton and cellulose are severely damaged if exposed to acid. This difference is utilised in carbonising wool to remove excessive cellulosic impurities, such as burr and vegetable matter. Wool is treated with a solution of sulfuric acid and is then baked to destroy the impurities with only minimal damage to the wool.
The differences in the chemical structure of the various fibres mean that different classes of dyestuffs are required to cover the range of fibre types. Polypropylene and polyethylene do not absorb the dyes used to colour wool so any wool pack contamination from these fibres in the final product will appear obvious. The move to nylon woolpacks does not
necessarily prevent contamination; however, as the chemical structure of nylon is similar to wool, it absorbs wool dyes and this makes any contamination less obvious.
Characteristics of Wool Fibers and Products
Anti-static — because wool can absorb moisture vapour, it tends not to create static electricity, so it is less likely to cling uncomfortably to your body than other fabrics.
Anti-wrinkle — at a microscopic level, each wool fibre is like a coiled spring that returns to its natural shape after being bent. This gives wool garments a natural wrinkle resistance.
Biodegradable — When wool is disposed of, it will naturally decompose in soil in a matter of months to years, releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth.
Biodegradable — When wool is disposed of, it will naturally decompose in soil in a matter of months to years, releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth.
Breathable — wool fibres can absorb large quantities of moisture vapour then move it away to evaporate into the air. Wool clothing is extremely breathable and less prone to clamminess.
Elastic — natural elasticity helps wool garments stretch with your body, yet return to their original shape. So fine wool clothing is ideal to wear when exercising.
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Fire resistant — wool is flame retardant, doesn’t melt and stick to the skin, and even self-extinguishes when the source of flame is removed.
Nature’s fibre — Wool is grown year-round from a simple blend of water, air, sunshine and grass.
Odour resistant — in contrast to synthetics, wool can absorb moisture vapour, which means less sweat on your body. They even absorb and locks away the odours from sweat, which are then released during washing.
Renewable — every year sheep produce a new fleece, making wool a completely renewable fibre source
Stain resistant — wool fibres have a natural protective outer layer that prevents stains from being absorbed. And because wool tends not to generate static, it attracts less dust and lint.
Soft — Wool fibres are extremely fine, enabling them to bend and feel soft and gentle next to your skin.
Sun-safe — wool is much better at protecting skin against UV radiation than most synthetics and cotton. So the whole family will be safer wearing wool on sunny days.
Sun-safe — wool is much better at protecting skin against UV radiation than most synthetics and cotton. So the whole family will be safer wearing wool on sunny days.
Warm and cool — in contrast to synthetics, wool is an active fibre that reacts to changes in body temperature. So it helps you stay warm when the weather is cold, and cool when the weather is hot.
Summary of Characteristics of Wool Fibers
Wool is a protein fibre that comes from a variety of animals.
Sheering is done by hand, but the manufacturing of wool fabric is done by machine.
Wool is ideal for cool weather garments such as sweaters.
Flame resistant (wool usually extinguishes itself when the source of flame is removed).
Weaker than cotton or linen, especially when wet.
Fibres range from one to fourteen inches long.
Most valued for its textured appearance and warmth.
Must be washed gently or dry cleaned.
Can be damaged by chlorine bleach.
Moths and carpet beetles eat wool.
Springs back into shape after being crushed.
An excellent insulator as woollens (80% air).
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Absorbs moisture which is held inside the fibre (the wool will still feel dry even on a humid day).
Accepts dyes easily (“dyed in the wool”).
Quality of wool varies with the breed of sheep.
Does not attract dirt or static electricity.
Wool products labelling Act permits the word “wool” to be used for fibres from sheep, Angora or Cashmere goats, camel, alpaca, llama, and vicuna.
Source: Textile School
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