Face mask

A face mask 1 comprising a filter material 3 and a plurality of windows 2 in a mouth region of the mask. The windows might be any combination of adjacent to the filter, bordered on edges thereof, or surrounded thereby. The mask may be formed of a layer of filter and a layer of transparent material, each containing a plurality of apertures, where the apertures of the two materials do not overlap. The windows might be in the form of strips, rectangles, hexagons, ovals and/or circles. The ratio between the area of windows and the area of filter material may vary across the mask, in particular to have a higher proportion of windows around the mouth area; this might be achieved by changing the size or density of the windows across the mask. Such a mask allows lipreading but avoids the large impermeable area of a single mask window as seen in the prior art. Also claimed is a laminate which would form the body of such a mask.