Not recommended, here’s what you need to know about skins and buffs

KOMPAS.com – PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (PT KCI) requires passengers to wear masks while riding the electric train (KRL).

PT KCI Vice President of Corporate Communications Anne Purba said prospective passengers are encouraged to wear masks that are effective in containing the droplets.

However, passengers are advised not to wear diving or buff masks.

This is what we need to know about diving and buff masks.

What about the diving mask?

On September 15, 2020, the spokesperson for the Covid-19 Management Working Group, Wiku Adisasmito, responded to the ban on the use of diving masks and buffs on the commuter line.

He said diving masks and enhancements were less effective at protecting against the corona virus.

“A diving mask or buff is a mask with a single layer and is too thin to be more likely to penetrate,” Wiku said, as reported. Kompas.com.

Wiku said that diving masks are usually easy to put around the neck, so their use is not effective as prevention.

According to him, masks are an important tool to prevent the transmission of the corona virus, so people should wear quality masks, such as surgical masks or three-layer cotton fabric.

According to research from the University of Oxford, cotton fabric has a 70 percent level of resistance to transmission of the corona virus.

However, to increase the strength of the protection, it is recommended to insert a tissue folded in three parts into a cloth mask.

Also read: For children to wear masks when leaving home, here are the tips

How effectively do diving masks prevent the transmission of the virus?

SHUTTERSTOCK Illustration of a diving mask

Meanwhile, it was reported Kompas.comOn April 14, 2020, the researcher of the Clean Technology Research Workshop (LIPI) of the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI), Dr. Eng Muhamad Nasir, explained the basis for testing the main performance of the masks.

He explained that there are three main stages of performance testing of the masks, namely:

• Bacterial leak test (efficiency of bacterial phytitation)
• Particle filtration test (particle filtration efficiency)
• Air permeability test and differential pressure (breathability of the mask)

According to him, cloth masks with flexible materials such as diving, when worn, will stretch the material so that the density and pores of the cloth are enlarged and open, which increases air permeability.

This further increases the chances that the particular virus will penetrate the mask.

Also read: PT KCI value of ineffective diving masks, this is the expert’s explanation

Launching Healthline, On September 14, 2020, it was also said that the upgrade did not provide effective protection against the spread of the corona virus.

In studies at Duke University in North Carolina, United States, researchers concluded that the enhancement is not effective in blocking droplet or respiratory droplets that come out of the mouth, which are one of the entry routes for the transmission of the corona virus Covid-19.

So when people talk and droplets come out of their mouths, the risk of disease transmission remains high.

In fact, people who use enhancements are said to be far worse than people who don’t wear masks.

According to the researchers, the improvements cause the droplets to multiply in the air.

“Perhaps many people think that wearing any kind of mask is better than not wearing it at all. However, it is wrong,” explained Duke University study leader Martin Fischer.

“We observed that the number of drops increased when people applied the enhancement. We believe that the materials used in the enhancement can break down the droplets into smaller particles. This makes the enhancement users counterproductive, because the smaller drops are transported more easily through the air and hurting people on board around, “he continued.

This study shows that not all masks have the same level of effectiveness.

Mitchell H Grayson, director of the Division of Allergies and Immunology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, said that daily use of a multi-layered cloth mask can work as well as a surgical mask.

Also read: Asked not to be used by KRL passengers, what about dive masks and buffs?

Material material

Researchers at the LIPI Biomaterials Research Center, Dian Burhani, S.Si, MT, revealed that one of the factors that determine the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of the corona virus is the pore size of the material.

“The corona virus is transmitted droplet. So, to be effective, the pore size of the mask material must be smaller than the size droplet“Dian said, reportedly Kompas.com, September 16, 2020.

He added that compared to the N95 mask which has a 14 micron pore, the scuba mask has larger pores, around 30-40 microns.

Aside from the larger pore size, another thing that makes dive masks questionable is their effectiveness because the mask is single-layer.

“If you only wear a one-layer mask, you are concerned that the droplets will stick to the outside of the mask and gradually seep through the mask’s pores, which will then directly hit your mouth and nose,” he said.

Dian added, in addition to N95 masks and surgical masks, the masks that are considered effective in preventing transmission of the corona virus are three-layer cotton masks, because each part of the mask has its own protective function.

Source: KOMPAS.com (Muhammad Isa, Rakhmat Nur, Vina Fadhrotul / Editor: Ambaranie Nadia, Krisiandi, Jihad A, Gloria S, Bestari K)

Also read: Covid-19 Working Group: Diving Masks and Upgrades Are Less Effective Against Corona virus

KOMPAS.com/Akbar Bhayu Tamtomo
Infographic: 5 Common Mistakes on How to Wear a Mask