Fetish News

Winter may be winding down but we all know you need another excuse to mask up, right? Look no further than ColdAvenger. We've all seen neoprene masked used by joggers and those fond of the outdoors during the coldest winter days but ColdAvenger takes that all a step further creating a "micro climate" to keep you warm. Sort of looks like something out of star wars doesn't it?

Attention gas mask fans who video game, there's a new title coming out that you might want to get your hands on. The game is Metro 2033 and it takes place in a post apocalyptic wasteland. One of the unique things about the game is there is virtually no heads up display for health, ammo or maybe most important of all... your gas mask filter. That's right, the air is too poisonous to venture outside with out strapping your gas mask on tight and filters don't last forever. Personally I'm not sure how I feel about the utter lack of any heads up display and having to time everything out by your characters watch, but all in all it still looks like it could be a lot of fun. I haven't seen any screen shots that depict beautiful gas masked women running around but I'm sure there have to few a few out there in the wasteland, right?

Click read more to check out the trailer for Metro 2033!

While it might seem like a strange way to get their point across, Providence St Vincent Medical recently showed their support for breast cancer awareness by making a video entitled "The Pink Glove Dance".  Enjoy and get your pink gloved groove on!

Lack of scientific evidence regarding the need for N95 respirators among health care workers has prompted three scientific organizations to urge that OSHA change current recommendations for personal protection from H1N1 flu among health care employees. N95 respirators that require fit-testing are not scientifically proven to be best to protect health care workers from H1N1 flu.

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) have written a letter to President Obama, saying the current guideline recommending fit-tested N95 respirators for health care workers to protect from H1N1 flu could have “dangerous consequences”.

Two recent studies show that surgical masks protect from H1N1 flu as well as N95 respirators. According to APIC 2009 President Christine Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC, “The supply of N95 respirators is rapidly being depleted in our healthcare facilities. We are concerned that there won’t be an adequate supply to protect healthcare workers when TB patients enter the healthcare system.”

Mark Rupp, MD, president of SHEA, says the OSHA guidelines are “deeply flawed”, and are causing confusion among health care employees and hospital administrators.

When it comes to swine flu, John Genovese of Scottsdale, Ariz., said he's not taking any chances as he settles in the dorm for his freshman year at Arizona State University.

"Swine flu is a pretty serious thing, so I'd adhere to whatever the CDC advises," Genovese, 18, said.

But even Genovese said that a new piece of advice issued Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta seems a bit strange. It's a recommendation suggesting that if college students are ill, they should refrain from kissing but, if they must, wear a surgical mask while doing the deed.

"I studied abroad in Costa Rica when swine flu broke out over there and we had to wear masks for a while," he said. "But I don't think I'd kiss with a surgical mask."

At least one of Genovese's classmates said he would, although he did add that he imagined kissing with a surgical mask wouldn't be comfortable.

Have a rave party coming up and simply don't know what to wear? We've found just the thing your collection is missing, the LED respirator. An ebay user named cyb3rburn is selling them on ebay for $39.99!

Fresh concerns about swine flu, mostly from Queenstown residents travelling overseas, prompted another upsurge yesterday in requests for protective face masks and Tamiflu.

The bride wore white — and a face mask. A Chicago couple married in surgical masks and latex gloves Sunday after learning less than 48 hours before that they both had swine flu. Ilana Jackson and Jeremy Fierstien went ahead with the ceremony after doctors assured them guests wouldn't be at serious risk.

By JURO OSAWA

TOKYO -- Japanese makers of surgical masks say that despite boosting production amid the spread of A/H1N1 influenza, they can't keep up with demand from consumers hyper-sensitized to hygiene issues.

TOKYO (AFP) — Amid the swine flu outbreak, face masks are becoming a common sight around the world, but in Japan they have been part of everyday streetwear for decades and even spawned their own fashion trends.

Japan's love affair with surgical masks baffles many visitors who are disconcerted at the sight of air passengers, commuters and office workers wearing the protective cotton safeguards otherwise associated with hospitals.

Gauze masks designed to stop bugs, dust and allergens are sold in convenience stores on almost every city street in Japan, which counts on 42 manufacturers to protect its population of 127 million from airborne nasties.

"The Japanese essentially like cleanliness and hygiene," Naoya Fujita, head of the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association, told AFP.

"I think it's part of the Japanese psyche to want to protect yourself at all cost from outside diseases. That feeling is stronger than the feeling of social embarrassment at wearing a mask."

Social etiquette in Japan also dictates that people don't just wear masks to protect themselves, but also to shield others from their own germs when they catch a cold, he said.

Latest industry figures show 1.96 million masks were made in Japan in 2007, including models against viruses and bacteria, pollen, industrial pollutants, dry airplane air, and as a thermal protectors in winter.

Japan has no confirmed cases yet of the deadly swine flu that has spread from Mexico to more than a dozen countries, but sales have already soared as the island-nation anticipates the arrival of the A (H1N1) virus.

Unicharm, a leading hygiene product maker, has ramped up production after mask sales rose four times above its April target, and seven-fold year-on-year, a company spokeswoman said without disclosing figures.

On national television, experts have put under the microscope face masks handed out in Mexico and concluded that the domestic types, with their densely woven fabric, were stopping viruses more efficiently.

Cloth and brass wire masks became common in early 20th century Japan as the country started to industrialise and factory pollution rose sharply.

Their use spread during the 1919 Spanish flu, again after Tokyo's Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and when influenza reemerged in 1934.

The mask have been a common sight ever since, with sales spiking in winter and during major health scares such as the SARS epidemic six years ago.

In Tokyo, people also use them against cedar pollen, powerful allergens blowing in from forests that were planted around the capital as part of a major post-World War II reforestation campaign.

With their ubiquitous use in fashion-conscious Japan, it's no surprise that makers have come up with masks for every occasion -- from cute pink Hello Kitty styles to upmarket models bearing luxury-brand logos.

Unicharm's "Mask Collection" featured a classy jewel-studded number and a type that stops lipstick smear, together with tips on how to coordinate them with different outfits and hair styles.

Plain or chic, the question still lingers on how well they work.

When British medical officials last week suggested that face masks provide "a false reassurance," the Japan Times daily covered the debate with an article headlined "Britain, Japan at odds on face mask merit."

Experts say the level of protection depends on the mask itself, and how long it is worn, and in what environment.

"It's better than nothing, but it's hard to completely block out an airborne virus since it can easily slip through the gaps," said Yukihiro Nishiyama, professor of virology at Nagoya University's School of Medicine.

"The best thing is to avoid large crowds, especially in enclosed spaces, because viruses can spread more quickly there than in the open where they can be killed by sunlight."

Copyright © 2009 AFP