The Masked Manual

Open source iOS app for referencing face mask data

The problem:

Masks are important. Choosing the right type of mask and understanding its qualifications is critical. Currently, mask information is scattered between the openFDA database, FDA websites and CDC websites.

The solution:

“The Masked Manual” is a free iOS app that shows mask information compiled from openFDA, FDA websites and CDC websites. It lets you easily search for masks and see their qualifications, as well as instructions for wearing it. You can also use the camera to recognize and find your mask by scanning its packaging.

At the time of writing, the following masks are referenced:

• Surgical mask approved under EUA but not FDA approved.
• Surgical mask that is FDA approved.
• Respirator (N95 or otherwise) that is approved under EUA but not NIOSH and not FDA approved.
• Respirator (N95 or otherwise) that is no longer approved under the EUA and not NIOSH and not FDA approved.
• N95 respirator that is NIOSH approved but not FDA approved.
• N95 respirator that is both NIOSH and FDA approved - also known as surgical respirators.

Data sources

The source for each data is listed explicitly in the application for each mask or respirator entry. Data are sourced from:

• openFDA of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Emergency Use Authorizations for Medical Devices of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The substantive content of the materials has not been changed from their original sources.

The material is otherwise available on the respective agency website for no charge.

The terms of service for all data follow from their source as indicated for each entry for a mask. Data from openFDA is available under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal dedication (timestamp: 11/28/2020). Data from the CDC provided here is not under copyright and is in the public domain (timestamp: 11/28/2020). Data from the FDA provided here is not under copyright and is in the public domain (timestamp: 11/28/2020).

Link to the app (free):

You can find the app on the iOS app store here:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-masked-manual/id1542536599

Developer?

This is an open source project — you can contribute here:
https://the-masked-manual.herokuapp.com
https://github.com/smrfeld/the-masked-manual-ios
https://github.com/smrfeld/the-masked-manual-python

Feedback and contributions are welcome, thanks!