Is any mask a good mask?

HEPA filters. In testing, a layer of HEPA carpet cleaner bag did actually perform the most effective. However, it is difficult to breathe through. In addition, lots of people have raised concerns within the safety of materials (like fiberglass) utilized to produce these filters. At this time I can’t recommend them.

Cloth masks aren’t ideal. A 2015 study of over 1,000 healthcare workers in Hanoi, Vietnam, found out that those who were used on wear cloth masks were more likely to get a respiratory virus than people who wore medical masks, manufactured from thick fibers that catch a range of particles. That study appeared in BMJ Open.

The study said the very best face mask for preventing spread of droplets were N95 masks without valves while fleece coverings and bandanas were the very least effective, with researchers finding them “worse today wearing any type of facial covering”.

As states reopen …

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What Should I Use to Make My Homemade Mask?

While getting a pair of nylons is pretty easy (for now), questions remain in the public’s mind about the best material for a homemade mask. Here are some tips from mask researchers. Use a thick-weave cotton: In general, thicker, high-grade cotton masks tend to do a better job of filtering out small particles, says Dr. Scott Segal, a professor and chair of anesthesiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine who has been putting various cloth masks to the test since March. His rule of thumb: Hold up the fabric to a bright light or to the sun. If “you can see the light outlining the individual fibers in the fabric, it’s probably not a good filter. And if you can’t, it’s probably going to filter better.” Thin T-shirt material didn’t do a great job in his testing, though “probably anything is better than nothing,” he says. Thicker, heavier-weight T-shirts would …

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