children health

TOTOBOBO Mask for every children of Merapi

by info on October 31, 2010

Powerful eruption from Mount Merapi send out huge amount of smoke and ash on November 1, 2010. Photo by Sayoga

Powerful eruption from Mount Merapi send out huge amount of smoke and ash on November 1, 2010. Photo by Sayoga

Over the last several days, Totobobo Masks has been busy trying to collect all the masks possible to give all the children in Merapi, Indonesia. Totobobo masks can protect them from the volcanic ash spewed out by the recent eruption and save lives.

“One TOTOBOBO Mask for every children of Merapi” initiative is the brainchild of Mrs Sri Widowati (Wido). Initially all she could find were small surgical masks in Singapore. For those exposed to volcanic ash, containing large quantities of airborne particles, surgical masks are not very effective. Fortunately, her friend Simon found us online and put Wido in touch with Totobobo.

Visibility is only 10 meters in the northern ring road of Jojakarta

Visibility is only 10 meters in the northern ring road of Jojakarta

Only 10 meters visibility and everywhere covered with thick layers of volcanic ash. Photo by Sayoga

Visibility is low and everywhere is covered with thick layer of volcanic dust in Jojakarta. Photo by Sayoga

Within hours, a donation fund was announced on Wido’s Facebook campaign, and cash started pouring in. Aid surged in through her
social networks as news about the disaster unfolded. But another problem stood in the way: transportation. Sending the masks by DHL or
Fedex to Indonesia could take several days. Valuable time can be lost if it gets stuck in customs. The most reliable way is hand-carried by
person. If the masks do not reach Indonesian children immediately, they will suffer longer. Just when that seemed to be irresolvable,
Air Asia Indonesia offered to ship 350 masks and 3500 filters to Merapi

350 pieces of masks and 3500 of filters, to be sent by Air Asia.

350 pieces of masks and 3500 of filters, to be sent by Air Asia.


Special instruction and scissors provided

Special instruction and scissors provided

As of November 1st, Totobobo Masks had managed to collect 350 masks and 3500 filters. We prepared special instructions for customizing the mask for children and even included the scissors for trimming the masks to fit properly. From previous experience with similar
emergencies, we know that the ground staff have limited time and resources. The usefulness of the mask can be compromised if the
ground staff don’t know how to customize the masks for the children, or if they can’t find a suitable pair of scissors to do a good job. These little things seem trivial, but on site it can mean life or death.

Wido and her friend Din picked up the first 350 masks and 3500 pairs of filters on Friday, 29 October. They were on-board an evening Air
Asia flight from Singapore to Yogyakarta arriving the next day. According to the latest update from Wido’s Facebook, after some struggle through customs in Yogyakarta, all of the masks have been successfully delivered to the ground staff.

The volcano Merapi erupted again and everyone need a mask to cover their nose and mouth. Photo by Sayoga.

The volcano Merapi erupted again and everyone need a mask to cover their nose and mouth. Photo by Sayoga.

The volcano in Merapi erupted again yesterday, sending huge amounts of volcanic ash down the mountain. Totobobo masks for children is
desperately needed. We are trying our best to accelerate the production and delivery of masks in order to save the lives of Indonesians affected by this disaster. The donation account set up by Ms. Sri Widowati is still open to contribution. Please send your donation to the following account if you want to contribute, thank you.

Click on pen to Use a Highlighter on this page

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

{ 0 comments }

Say No to Pollution in School Bus

by info on October 15, 2008

School bus in USA

School bus in USA

Every day, half a million school buses safely carry 24 million American children to school, field trips and athletic events.

Unfortunately, most buses are powered by diesel engines that actually pollute the air inside the bus. Studies show the pollution gets trapped inside the bus, where kids breathe it in.
Soot from two sources

Pollution come from emissions from the tailpipe and from the engine. Engine emissions (also referred to as crankcase emissions) enter the school bus cabin mostly through the door and the floorboard.

Because the door is right near the engine, engine emissions get sucked into the school bus, every time the door opens.
Unhealthy diesel exhaust

Diesel engines spew out nearly 40 toxic substances, smog-forming emissions and particulate matter (PM), better known as soot. Coarse and fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5) are breathed deeply into the lungs where they can lodge, creating serious, even life-threatening health problems (more on the health effects of soot and the problem with diesel).

Children are at particular risk because their lungs are still developing. Kids also breathe two times more air per pound of body weight than adults do. The damage to young lungs can result in reduced lung function by adulthood and other dangerous health problems.

Particle Pollution Health Risks

• aggravated asthma
• lung inflammation
• heart problems
• possible cancer
• premature death

Children receive an extra dose of pollution twice a day

pollution in school bus

pollution in school bus

Children riding buses older than 2007 models receive an extra dose of pollution on each ride: monitoring shows that the diesel pollution inside a typical school bus can be up to five times higher than the outside air.

Unless your child’s school bus has been retrofitted with a filter or your child is riding on a brand new 2007 school bus, chances are, your child is breathing in unhealthy pollution levels.
Solutions are at hand

Science indicates that even short-term exposure to elevated particulate levels can have detrimental health effects. The good news is that children do not have to be exposed to diesel school bus pollution. Cost-effective solutions are available. Four Steps to Cleaner Buses.
To cut harmful soot pollution by 90 percent, a bus can be replaced with a new 2007 engine model year bus or retrofitted with a filtering device on the tailpipe, called a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

Engine emissions can easily be eliminated with a crankcase ventilation system (CCVS). A CCVS reroutes the engine emissions to the engine air intake preventing harmful emissions from escaping into the air and the bus cabin.

While working on the long term solution, the immediate action you may take is to install a personal filter (face mask) for your children. However, a surgical mask is useless since the airborne particulates can easily bypass the mask and enter the breathing zone through the gaps. N95 respirator is not available for children because NIOSH never certify any for use on children. Luckily TOTOBOBO mask is now available and it is the first fitting mask designed with the need of children in mind. Even though it is not certified, it is easy to see how it seal the small faces of children. There is even a choice of two different filters; 96% or 94%. The 96% provide higher protection level than N95 mask, and the 94% is only 1% less than N95 mask and has very low breathing resistance.

Reference reading: CLEAN SCHOOL BUS
Idle School bus may be harming your child’s lung

Read more about TOTOBOBO mask for children :

The best fitting mask for children

Say no to pollution in school buses

time for a better mask for children

protect children from incense smoke

How to’s

How to customize TOTOBOBO mask for your children?

How to wash TOTOBOBO mask for reuse?

How to check the mask-to-face-seal without fit-test equipment?

Buy TOTOBOBO mask for children


Click on pen to Use a Highlighter on this page

Tagged as: , , , , , , , ,

{ 3 comments }