SARS fear boosts neckties that double as masks

Reuters Health Last Updated: 2003-04-07 15:03:56 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The answer to the deadly SARS virus sweeping the world may be a simple necktie, according to a college professor in Cleveland, Ohio.

John Haaga designed the $40 tie and similar scarves for women with silk on the outside and a special filter inside for use in a medical scare or terror attack.

Haaga, professor of radiology at University Hospitals of Cleveland, said he got the idea when he saw images on television of a man covering his face with a tie after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

Sales of the ties and scarves have risen to about 50 a day on the manufacturer's Web site (http:/www.fbsclothing.com/) because of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which has killed at least 90 people worldwide.

Haaga told Reuters he plans to introduce new designs and move manufacturing to the United States from Guangdong province in China, which happens to be the epicenter of the SARS outbreak.

The ties provide similar protection to a commonly used face mask known as an N95 respirator, which filters out particulates, he said.

But, for many, the main benefit may be psychological.

"When they are wearing a piece of clothing that can provide some temporary protection, it gives peace of mind," Haaga said.