{"id":49,"date":"2020-10-03T14:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T14:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1321273"},"modified":"2020-10-03T14:00:09","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T14:00:09","slug":"which-face-masks-actually-work-against-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=49","title":{"rendered":"Which face masks actually work against COVID-19?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Facemasks have become big drivers of e-commerce. In August, Etsy\u2019s quarterly earnings report showed<\/a> mask sales on the site reached $346 million in the second quarter of 2020. During the same period, face mask sales netted the struggling retailer Gap Inc. $130 million<\/a>. And the global mask market is projected to grow to $2.3 billion<\/a> by 2027. Cloth and paper masks routinely make best seller lists on Amazon in multiple categories including \u201cTools & Home Improvement,\u201d \u201cHealth & Household,\u201d and \u201cBeauty & Personal Care.\u201d<\/p>\n

But are all those products equally effective at stopping COVID-19?<\/p>\n

There is a growing scientific consensus that face coverings can help stop the spread of the virus. (Though doctors say you should keep washing your hands and social distancing as well.)<\/p>\n

Contagious people likely release COVID-19 germs when they speak, yell, sing, sneeze, or cough, especially indoors, where poor ventilation may allow the virus to linger in the air longer. One example: this choir practice<\/a> in Washington State, where after two and a half hours of singing together inside, one contagious person likely infected 87 percent of the 61-person group.<\/p>\n

Put several layers of fabric in front of those open mouths and disease-carrying droplets of saliva are blocked from traveling out into the world.<\/p>\n

Take this instance of two COVID-positive hair stylists<\/a> who saw a total of 139 clients while presumably contagious. Everyone involved wore masks, and none of the clients tested positive for the virus after their appointments. Compelling anecdotal reports like this are also backed up by peer-reviewed research like this article<\/a> and this meta-analysis<\/a>, which both found that surgical masks, which are fluid resistant and usually made of a combination of paper and the plastic-derived fabric polypropylene, block significant amounts of virus from entering the air.<\/p>\n

Face masks may also protect against coronavirus by creating a barrier that keeps us from inhaling lots of virus particles. As Dr. Monica Gandhi of the University of California, San Francisco theorized in a paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of General Internal Medicine <\/em>in July<\/a>, \u201cuniversal masking reduces the \u2018inoculum\u2019 or dose of the virus for the mask-wearer, leading to more mild and asymptomatic infection manifestations.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the guidance is clear on one point: wear a mask. But what kind?<\/p>\n

That can be harder to figure out. As Gandhi pointed out, studying mask-wearing is quite hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s actually not great studies of people putting on different masks and spraying COVID-19,\u201d she told The Markup. \u201cWe can\u2019t do that. That\u2019s unethical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scientists are slowly gathering data on the novel coronavirus, but they have also extrapolated information from the transmission of better understood diseases like influenza.<\/p>\n

We spoke to a number of experts who offered guidance on which masks are worth the money\u2014and which are more likely to be pseudoscientific marketing ploys. Here\u2019s what we learned:<\/p>\n

Fit is king when it comes to masks\u2014and fabrics help with that <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even N95 masks, the gold standard of antiviral technology that filter out 95 percent of very small particles, won\u2019t work as well if they don\u2019t fit properly<\/a>. Health care professionals do regular tests to make sure their masks fit their faces.<\/p>\n

For the rest of us, masks don\u2019t have to be fancy but they do need to properly cover the nose, mouth, and bottom of the chin.<\/p>\n

Juan Hinestroza, an associate professor of fiber science at Cornell University, said the best protection against the virus would be a solid barrier, but obviously, we need to breathe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end it\u2019s a careful balance between the resistance of the fiber to the air and also the efficiency of the mask,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For people who aren\u2019t healthcare providers or working in a hospital setting, masks made out of fabrics are probably the best options because they are the easiest to fit comfortably to the face and won\u2019t create gaps where breath can escape past the mask\u2019s filtering layers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there is a universal solution, but I do think that textiles because of their own very nature of being drapable around different topographies of your face are the best choice,\u201d said Hinestroza, who made his cotton mask at home so he could fit it to his particular face and head.<\/p>\n

Layers are great, but forget the fancy filters and copper-laced fabrics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Amy Price, a senior researcher at the Stanford Anesthesia Informatics and Media Lab and Larry Chu, an anesthesiologist at Stanford University, who both study the effectiveness of different household items as masks <\/a>and helped create the World Health Organization\u2019s mask advice, said a three-layer mask can be highly effective if it follows a few basic guidelines.<\/p>\n

The layers should be made of tightly woven material, not something too loose like silk that can allow particles to sneak through. There shouldn\u2019t be visible pores in a cotton mask when held under a light.<\/p>\n

The outer layer should be hydrophobic fiber like polyester that will repel moisture. The middle layer should be a spun material like a disposable Kleenex, and the inner layer should be a hydrophilic material like cotton that will absorb moisture in the breath.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>It\u2019s like an obstacle course,\u201d Price said. Each layer has a different weft and structure that particles will have to negotiate if they want to make it past the mask.<\/p>\n

Gandhi and other researchers said masks don\u2019t need to have antimicrobial or fancy filtration features to be protective. Although such products are plentiful on Amazon, those features often don\u2019t have much or any data to back them up.<\/p>\n

For example, these PM 2.5 activated carbon filters<\/a> are a #1 bestseller in mask filters on Amazon and one of hundreds<\/a> of similar products. But there\u2019s no data to show these filters do anything to improve protection against COVID-19, the experts we spoke to said.<\/p>\n

Asked about how Amazon regulates claims about masks on its platform, company spokesperson Peter Kadushin said in an emailed statement that \u201cThird party sellers are independent businesses and are required to follow all applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon policies when selling in our store. We have proactive measures in place to prevent suspicious, non-compliant, or prohibited products from being listed and we continuously monitor the products sold in our stores.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email to The Markup, Bryan Ormond, an assistant professor of textile engineering at North Carolina State University, writes, \u201cI\u2019m not sure of any research that would show any utility of using charcoal filters for respiratory protection from biological aerosols.\u201d He explains that while these filters are useful for getting volatile gases and vapors out of the air, they don\u2019t actually filter particulate matter. \u201cPersonally, I use a three-layer cotton mask because I am prioritizing breathability of the material and it can be more difficult during the hot\/humid months here in North Carolina,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n

Consumers should be equally wary of sellers that advertise the antimicrobial features<\/a> of their copper-infused cotton masks<\/a>. One study in a controlled laboratory setting show<\/a>s that SARS-CoV-2 didn\u2019t survive after four hours on a copper surface. That might be useful in keeping the mask clean between wears, but Ormond said, \u201cThe timescale of inhalation\/exhalation is relatively quick, so if this finish takes multiple hours to inactive a virus, it still wouldn\u2019t be of much help while you are wearing the mask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gandhi and Price said there\u2019s too little data to support any antimicrobial claims. \u201cI am skeptical about if the microbial action is fast enough, if the copper is at the right density to be effective for face masks, and if the copper \u2018kills\u2019 SARS-CoV-2,\u201d Price wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

Breathable doesn\u2019t mean valves<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Masks like these respirators<\/a> were designed to filter pollution out of the air before it enters the wearer\u2019s lungs. \u201cNow the situation is basically reversed,\u201d Hinestroza said. \u201cThe mask has to work in the other direction.\u201d Instead of filtering out particulate matter in the air, now we need masks that will keep the matter we expel from getting out.<\/p>\n

To do this, breath has to pass through the mask so it can be filtered through the various layers. That means no valves. \u201cThe valves basically bypass the mask,\u201d Hinestroza said.<\/p>\n

Masks like this one<\/a>, say their \u201cdual one way discharge valves\u201d allow heat, carbon dioxide, and moisture to escape and make the mask more comfortable during exercise or hot weather. Other valved-masks<\/a> advertise themselves as \u201cbreathable\u201d<\/a> or as allowing \u201csmoother breathing\u201d<\/a> but scientists and the Centers for Disease Control<\/a> are clear: those valves make the masks ineffective. (Note that such masks generally advertise themselves as filtering out \u201cdust\u201d and \u201cother particles\u201d but reviews indicate people think they are protecting against virus transmission.)<\/p>\n

As for mesh masks, don\u2019t buy them if you\u2019re actually trying to prevent virus transmission. (According to the Verge, you\u2019d be better off walking around with a <\/a>paper towel on your face.)<\/p>\n

It only works if you wear it <\/strong><\/h2>\n

As important as fit and fabric are, for masks to help prevent COVID-19 infections people also have to wear them for them to be useful. Gandhi, like Hinestroza, said the most important feature of masks is that they fit and that they are something people can wear every day, like a second skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is actually about comfort and simplicity,\u201d she said.. As someone who likes to be color-coordinated, she went out and bought cotton masks in five different colors so she can match them to her outfit every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m totally into it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming part of my life and that\u2019s what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Originally<\/a><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on The Markup<\/a> by Sara Harrison and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives<\/a> license.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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