- The rate of coronavirus transmission can be reduced with a combination of three actions: frequent hand hygiene, social distancing, and face masks.
- The virus can spread through the air, a recent study showed just after the World Health Organization recognized that airborne transmission is real.
- The virus is spread by talking, sneezing, and coughing, and a face mask is the type of obstacle that can stop drops and sprays.
- A new study explains which type of homemade face covering is the safest by comparing cloth masks made from a different number of layers.
Wearing face masks while sharing the same space with others can reduce the spread of the new coronavirus and possibly save the lives of everyone in the room and their loved ones. That includes people who will email me to tell me how the masks don’t really work, how this is all a ploy by the government to get them to comply, and other reasons that anti-masks currently sell. Face masks are not 100% effective at blocking infections, and even if you wear them, you can still get infected. Combined with social distancing and frequent handwashing, they give you a better opportunity to waste time until effective vaccines and medications arrive.
Considering that the virus can spread easily inside and no one is saved, we really should take advantage of every advantage that we can overcome the pathogen and prevent infection as long as possible. If science can show that tattooing the longest dictionary word in capitals somewhere where it really hurts would reduce the risk of infection, you should take advantage of that knowledge. There is no research for that, but there is increasing work showing that the virus spreads easily through the air, through particles of liquid and gas, and that blocking the mouth and nose can prevent these particles from entering and leaving .
A recent study explained which fabric face masks are the most effective, and a new one further refines that research, revealing what kind of homemade masks you should consider making yourself.
There is no widespread shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) at this time, and you can find face masks of various qualities in various places. But with the new coronavirus emerging in various parts of the world, we may witness another shortage of EPP. Not to mention that some people can no longer afford to buy N95 respirators and masks. These considerations certainly explain why the Indian government is advising its citizens not to wear valved N95 respirators and to create their own reusable masks.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia observed how various types of homemade masks can block the spread of droplets expelled by sneezing and coughing. They used LED lighting and a high-speed camera to film a person who coughed and sneezed without a mask, and then did the same for the single, double and triple layer masks. Surgical masks like the ones you can buy online and in stores also have three layers.
The researchers also measured speech, capturing clips at 850 frames per second, by CNCB. The cough and sneezes were filmed at 1,000 frames to further reduce the rate of droplet expulsion.
The researchers concluded that a single-layer mask is better than no mask if nothing else is available. A single layer cover would reduce droplets when talking, but a double layer would be even better at reducing the spread of droplets when coughing and sneezing. The three-layer surgical mask was the most effective in stopping the droplets ejected, and researchers have a video on BMJ Thorax, showing all these experiments in action.
The one-layer mask was made of a cotton T-shirt and hair bands. The double layer cover was sewn as shown in the CDC guidelines. To induce a sneeze, the researchers used tissue paper to stimulate the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity.
“A fabric covering with at least two layers is preferable to a single layer,” wrote Prateek Bahl of the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. “The guidelines on homemade cloth masks should stipulate multiple layers.”
A new study also showed that the tiny droplets that are expelled during regular conversations, which turn into aerosols in the circulating air in a room, can contain viral loads that are still infectious. Just because the water evaporates quickly and the drop becomes an aerosol, the virus is not killed. And aerosols are more likely to stay in the air than the larger droplets that tend to land on surfaces. This makes wearing a face mask outside the safety of your home even more important.
If you plan to make your own reusable skins to save money or during shortages, be sure to use three layers and trust CDC or your local authority guidelines.
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it, he was sharing his views on technology topics with readers around the world. Every time you don’t write about devices, you unfortunately don’t stay away from them, even though you desperately try. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
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