Time to Upgrade Your Mask ? Nov. 24, 2020 Is it time to upgrade your mask? By now most of us have settled on a preferred cloth mask to protect ourselves and others from coronavirus. But new research shows that a few simple upgrades in fabric, filters and fit are likely to provide even more protection. Linsey Marr, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech and one of the world’s leading aerosol scientists, led the research, which tested 11 different mask materials. The findings confirmed what other labs have found: You don’t need a gold- standard N95 medical mask to stay safe from coronavirus. The right cloth mask, properly fitted, does a good job of filtering viral particles of the size most likely to cause infection. But Dr. Marr and her colleagues found that small improvements to your mask can go a long way toward improving how well the mask protects you and others from potential infectious particles. They found that: Three layers are better than two. The best mask has two tightly woven layers of outer material with a filter material sandwiched in the middle, Dr. Marr said. You can use surgical mask material or even a piece of a vacuum bag as a filter between two pieces of fabric. Coffee filters are an option, but can be less breathable. If you like your two-layer mask, you can just wear it over a surgical mask when you want added protection. A well-fitting fabric mask with a third filter layer can stop 74 to 90 percent of risky particles, the researchers found. Flexible material is better. Stiff material creates gaps. Look for a mask made of tightly woven flexible material that contours to your face. Masks with wire that can be molded around the nose also fit better by closing gaps where air can escape out and seep in. Ties are better than ear loops. Masks that tie around your head fit better and can be more comfortable. Ear loop masks can leave bigger gaps around your face and cause ears to become sore with longer use. Face shields should be used with a mask. Face shields alone offered little to no protection. Although the clear plastic shield is impermeable, air seeps out and comes in around the edges of the shield. “It was the worst of everything,” said Jin Pan, a civil and environmental engineering Ph.D. student who was a co-author of the study. A face shield combined with a mask offers added protection, particularly for the eyes. A well-fitted mask protects the wearer. Dr. Marr and her colleagues tested cloth masks for how well they protected others (outward protection) as well as the wearer (inward protection). Although masks are most efficient at filtering outgoing germs, they do stop incoming germs at nearly the same rate in most cases, the researchers found. Masks that did a poor job protecting the wearer were those made of stiffer materials and those worn loosely and with gaps around the edges. A recent study from Denmark suggested that masks don’t protect the wearer, but Dr. Marr noted that in that study, many people weren’t using masks properly. “Fewer than half wore them as instructed,” Dr. Marr said. Although Dr. Marr’s findings come from a lab, rather than the real world, she said her group’s latest research should offer reassurance to people who wear well-fitted masks that they are getting additional protection from other people’s germs. The research should also reassure people about the benefits of cloth masks, Dr. Marr said. She noted that masks can’t do “100 percent of the work,” and it’s important to combine mask wearing with other measures, like hand-washing and restricting social contacts. “Something is better than nothing,” Dr. Marr said. “Even the simplest cloth mask of one layer of material blocks half or more of aerosols we think are important to transmission. If you go to a tighter weave and more layers, you’ll get even better performance.” The Virginia Tech study was published online and has not yet been peer reviewed. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/well/live/covid-best-masks.html
I generally wear 2 of the surgical masks when working in front yard w/ people within 10 feet. I also test them by lighting a candle, putting the mask on & blowing at the candle to see if it wavers. Some are definitely better than others testing them this way. I use the N95 type when going grocery shopping, usually w/ a surgical mask over it as it/they has the (1 way) exhale vent built into them.
I went maskless until I caught the virus. Took 3 well deserved weeks off from work ,(The virus lasted 3 days), and I gained 12 lbs. It was the best vacation I ve had in decades. Sipping warm straight bourbon was the best therapeutic. In reality, I think the booze did more damage to my liver than that pussy virus did to my whole body. Oh. And I m still maskless. f**k masks, and those who want to force folks to wear them
Watch this and then decide how effective the masks really are: https://videopress.com/v/4egEyh2b If the masks work—Why the six feet? If the six feet works—Why the masks? If both of the above work—Why the lockdowns? If all three of the above work—Why the vaccine? Inquiring minds want to know. George Carlin on germs, from 2011. NSFW . .
Wearing a face mask is not for protecting yourself, it's for decreasing the chance of infecting others.
Absolute nonsense. Read what the CDC has to say about that notion. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/2...GLEFTIbzV3atyHqop9DqK-rhx7itJ0SY3eZm5erwTZw6g Disposable medical masks (also known as surgical masks) are loose-fitting devices that were designed to be worn by medical personnel to protect accidental contamination of patient wounds, and to protect the wearer against splashes or sprays of bodily fluids (36). There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza. or here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2006372 We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic. or here: https://www.meehanmd.com/blog/2020-07-22-if-masks-dont-work-then-why-do-surgeons-wear-them/ The CoVID-19 pandemic is about viral transmission. Surgical and cloth masks do nothing to prevent viral transmission. We should all realize by now that face masks have never been shown to prevent or protect against viral transmission. Surgeons NEVER re-use surgical masks, nor do we ever wear cloth masks. .
Muslim women who wear a niqab are smiling. One of the few good things that s come out of this virus. https://theconversation.com/muslim-...-masks-nobody-is-giving-me-dirty-looks-136021
FYI: Marketplace tested over 20 different masks. Here's what will best protect you and others during the pandemic Social Sharing https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketplace-masks-test-1.5795481 Edit: The GF sent me this, she is a HCW at a Care Center. Update: i just got off the phone with a head nurse of the VA Someone I am friends with is now sedated in a coma and intubated in the ICU He did not believe in the virus.