An asphyxiation disaster is a disaster that occurs when a person is unable to breathe normally, and if the oxygen supply is not restored, oxygen deprivation can lead to brain damage and, in severe cases, death. This happens not only in accidents like fire scenes, but also in normal work environments where you are working in confined spaces. When it occurs in a confined space, it is deadly, causing 53.1% of fatalities, and in fires, asphyxiation by smoke and toxic gases is responsible for more than 60% of fire deaths. Especially in recent years, asphyxiation incidents in confined spaces such as wastewater treatment facilities have increased in frequency due to the heat, raising even more alarms.

Golden time in fire and confined spaces

Maintaining oxygen levels above 18% for 40 minutes

Filos (CEO Chulseung Kim) is a company that has been constantly researching and developing various products to protect precious lives from disasters and accidents that may occur in various fields such as firefighting, industry, everyday life, and marine.

The company has developed and launched Breathe in Oxygen, an oxygen delivery mask to prevent choking. Experts consider 18% to be the safe limit of oxygen in a human breathing environment. If your oxygen level drops as low as 12%, you’ll experience dizziness, vomiting, and loss of muscle strength; if it’s below 8%, you’ll faint and die in 7-8 minutes; if it drops below 6%, you won’t last more than 6 minutes. Oxygen levels can easily drop in fire scenes and confined spaces, and maintaining oxygen levels is a priority to stay safe in these situations. Breathe In, developed and launched by Filos in 2017, is a mask that can maintain oxygen levels above 18% for 40 minutes in these environments, and can be used in industrial and fire evacuations.

The mask provides a constant amount of oxygen for more than 40 minutes, extending evacuation time, and utilizes a patented ultra-precise oxygen delivery technology that allows exhaled air to escape through an exhaust valve while fresh air is fed to the front filter. The oxygen cans used in this case have a dial system. The dial system allows you to easily adjust the oxygen flow, and the cartridge system allows you to extend your survival time. The specially designed headgear is portable, so it can be used to buy time to evacuate a busy hazardous site in the middle of the night.

Obtaining Ministry of the Interior and Safety ‘Disaster Safety Product’

Making presence in A+A 2023

Breathe In was developed as a hooded product to prevent suffocation. Since it is a hooded product, it is not only poison-proof but also dust-proof and purifies, and in the event of a fire evacuation, it supplies ultra-precise oxygen to the body, enabling circular breathing for more than 40 minutes to maintain the time to evacuate. In addition, Filos has developed products that can be used not only for evacuation, but also in the workplace, such as low-current oxygen masks for industrial use and hand-held oxygen masks for mountain foliage. In June, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety officially certified Breathe In as a “disaster safety product,” and a “special safety product” for preventing disasters and accidents that may occur in real-life situations such as firefighting, industry, and maritime. A big part of that certification is Filos’ patented “regulator,” which delivers a steady stream of oxygen. With this technology, the regulator can be combined between the industrial mask filter and the mask, so that the oxygenation system can be activated immediately in case of an emergency. These regulators can also be used compatibly with existing products.

Breathe In drew great acclaim at the recently held International Fire Safety Expo as well as the Safety Industry Expo, and is now registered as an innovative product of the Public Procurement Service based on patented technology. Based on the registration of innovative products by the Public Procurement Service, Filos also provides products to public institutions such as the Environment Agency, nuclear power plants, gas companies, and industrial park spaces through the innovative product pilot purchase project. 

▲ Filos / CEO Chulseung Kim

After receiving a great response at the Nara Marketplace Expo, Filos has also announced its participation in the world’s largest occupational safety and health exhibition, A+A 2023 in Dusseldorf, Germany, and is reaching out not only for domestic safety but also for global safety.