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Impending crisis for healthcare workers as protective mask supply dwindles. Calls have been put out for civilians to start making them from cloth. (Reminds me of knitting socks & scarves by those on the Homefront in WWII.)
How effective are these?
There are two approved types used currently-- the better N95 which filters out 95% of airborne particles/bugs, and the usual surgical mask which isn't as effective in filtering measured particle counts-- but there was no difference in preventing spread of infection when tested vs influenza virus when dealing with hospitalized pts.
In controlled, particle filtering tests, N95 masked blocked 25x more than surgical masks and 50x more than home made masks.
They recommend that home made masks are better than nothing, but not as good as commercial masks.
The N95 Particulate respirators are good for airborne diseases, except when we cant get a good seal. Any facial hair at all eliminates the possibility of a good seal.
We have always known this virus is airborne, but surgical masks have been used. All a surgical mask does is prevent droplets from the wearer spewing out or dripping out and into a surgery.
In theory, a homemade mask will not replace a particulate respirator which wont be effective for a lot of people anyway because of the seal issue.
A homemade mask will replace a surgical mask in preventing us from spewing or dripping droplets, more importantly it prevents us from absentmindedly touching our face (mouth and nose) which we absentmindedly do about 3000 times a day. In a pinch, a bandana or scarf can serve the same purpose, and be just as effective as a surgical mask, or an N95 that doesn't have a good seal.
Another point of entry is the eye area - and neither the N95 nor the surgical mask protects your eyes.
Ive heard conflicting reports about how long the virus can survive suspended in the air, the general consensus being 'not long'; but I have always heard the virus can last 48 hours on hard surfaces. This is why not touching the face is important. Hand washing is amazingly important for this reason.
Being airborne is how it initially moves about, but it seems to me, we do a lot more damage with our hands simply because of how long it can survive sitting on the things we touch.
DH had to venture out to the pharmacy and my first instict was for him to tie a handkerchief around his nose and mouth. Then I had to stop and remember that he wouldn't wear a pastel or floral handkerchief and the "manly" ones would get him ganked as wearing gang colors.
He told me he ended up pulling his t-shirt up over his nose (he said he wasn't the only one doing so).
Eye protection like swimming goggles. The Irish guy in the Youtube vids I posted, early on , he used those when going outside in Wuhan he never got infected plus he use big gloves outside.
Somewhere ? was said virus is 0.1 micron so requires mask type for that.
I do not know what fabrics would be useful for this.
Those thin nylon lady scarfs maybe worn double ?
Some say vacuum bag? Not sure if one can breathe through that?
I do not know if vacuum bags are pure or impregnated with something.
On Youtube are many tutorials on how to make a mask. Most is machine sewing but there is some hand sewing too. An asian lady show both methods in same video.
Impending crisis for healthcare workers as protective mask supply dwindles. Calls have been put out for civilians to start making them from cloth. (Reminds me of knitting socks & scarves by those on the Homefront in WWII.)
How effective are these?
There are two approved types used currently-- the better N95 which filters out 95% of airborne particles/bugs, and the usual surgical mask which isn't as effective in filtering measured particle counts-- but there was no difference in preventing spread of infection when tested vs influenza virus when dealing with hospitalized pts.
In controlled, particle filtering tests, N95 masked blocked 25x more than surgical masks and 50x more than home made masks.
They recommend that home made masks are better than nothing, but not as good as commercial masks.
Eye protection like swimming goggles. The Irish guy in the Youtube vids I posted, early on , he used those when going outside in Wuhan he never got infected plus he use big gloves outside.
Somewhere ? was said virus is 0.1 micron so requires mask type for that.
I do not know what fabrics would be useful for this.
Those thin nylon lady scarfs maybe worn double ?
Some say vacuum bag? Not sure if one can breathe through that?
I do not know if vacuum bags are pure or impregnated with something.
On Youtube are many tutorials on how to make a mask. Most is machine sewing but there is some hand sewing too. An asian lady show both methods in same video.
I think you could probably breathe through it. But it seems to me that it would be too stiff to conform well to the contours of your face.
I'm going with the T-shirt idea, since there is some evidence for it. You could probably use a double layer, too, depending on the weight of the fabric. I wonder whether 2 layers of the lightweight fabric would be more effective than a single layer of the heavier weight. Yes, I'm thinking about trying this.
DH had to venture out to the pharmacy and my first instict was for him to tie a handkerchief around his nose and mouth. Then I had to stop and remember that he wouldn't wear a pastel or floral handkerchief and the "manly" ones would get him ganked as wearing gang colors.
He told me he ended up pulling his t-shirt up over his nose (he said he wasn't the only one doing so).
I just have to say, "Oh, For Ford's Sake"! Find some plain white handkerchiefs! Frankly, I think anything would have been deemed socially acceptable, but that's just me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto
Impending crisis for healthcare workers as protective mask supply dwindles. Calls have been put out for civilians to start making them from cloth. (Reminds me of knitting socks & scarves by those on the Homefront in WWII.)
How effective are these?
There are two approved types used currently-- the better N95 which filters out 95% of airborne particles/bugs, and the usual surgical mask which isn't as effective in filtering measured particle counts-- but there was no difference in preventing spread of infection when tested vs influenza virus when dealing with hospitalized pts.
In controlled, particle filtering tests, N95 masked blocked 25x more than surgical masks and 50x more than home made masks.
They recommend that home made masks are better than nothing, but not as good as commercial masks.
There's a lot of fear about breathing in this virus. Nobody in charge is addressing that. Instead, they state reasons why we shouldn't wear masks, but they leave it at that.
My concern is that we're only being told not to wear masks because there's a shortage. This increases my anxiety.
I can understand why a surgical mask might not help. It's too open around the edges.
This morning I made my own paper towel mask. It took me 20-seconds. It's completely disposable. What surprised me was that it held pretty tightly around my face. Even around the nose, it sealed. The best part was it was comfortable and I could breathe while I shopped. It didn't fall aprt as you'd expect. When I exited the store, I removed the mask and threw it away.
While I shopped, I passed a customer who suddenly sneezed -- a wet, slopping sneeze that the crook of his elbow didn't stop. I was grateful for the mask! There's no way I could have avoided breathing that sneeze in. With the mask in place, I don't think it was possible.
Another plus to the paper towel mask is that I never had to adjust it as I shopped. It's large enough that it doesn't slip.
Has anyone tried making these? I'm sure there's no sure-fire way to avoid this virus 100%, but it seems to me a proper, disposable facial covering is a plus. (I wouldn't recommend sewing fabric masks because the user probably won't throw it away if it took a half-hour to make.)
I made mine with two sheets of paper towel rather than one.
I think you could probably breathe through it. But it seems to me that it would be too stiff to conform well to the contours of your face.
I'm going with the T-shirt idea, since there is some evidence for it. You could probably use a double layer, too, depending on the weight of the fabric. I wonder whether 2 layers of the lightweight fabric would be more effective than a single layer of the heavier weight. Yes, I'm thinking about trying this.
We have thick filter vacuum bags which I think would make excellent masks. i don’t know if they could be washed, however.
A simple cowboy's/biker's bandana- folded to double thickness- is probably good enough for routine venturing out in public. Once you start breathing thru it and it collects some moisture, it'll filter even more than the dry mask in the test.
Hospital workers deserve the best they can get because they know they're being exposed to infected pts in close quarters and often involved with handling the pt's body fluids.
Based on experience with other viral infections, masks for the general public may well be over-kill-- but we don't know that for sure. Nobody knows the minimum effective inoculum to cause infection. For most common cold/influenza, you really have to be blasted with a good sized, direct goober to come down with the illness via air-borne contamination. For those, it's almost always the dried secretions-picked-up-on the hands and inserted into the head route that's troublesome....For this one, we just don't know. Better safe than sorry until more data is in the can.
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