PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A new study shows that not only are neck gaiters ineffective as protective masks, they could actually be less than wearing no mask at all.
Finding a mask that fits, is comfortable and where you can inhale well is not always easy, but new research shows neck gaiters, popular with athletes, are ineffective and can even be harmful.
Dr. Jennifer Preiss, MD for internal medicine and pediatrician with AGH, says that the Duke University study found that the material of the neck gaiter is extremely thin.
“The gaiter mask should do something to the particles as they come out of your mouth, making them thinner, more aerosolized, which means they stay in the air longer,” says Dr. Priess.
This means that all coronavirus particles can stay in the air longer.
The study also found bandannas are ineffective.
But ordinary cloth masks performed almost like surgical masks.
“There are dust masks where you can put a filter yourself, and honestly, a coffee filter works perfectly. That you can take it out, wash your mask and reinsert it, ”says Dr. Piress.
Researchers suggest that masks should have 2 or 3 layers.
And the easiest way to tell if the fabric is too thin – if you can see through it or blow through easily, is probably to protect no one.
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