What type of face mask is most effective in blocking coronavirus particles?

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – While public health officials are constantly reinforcing the message that face masks can help stop the spread of coronavirus, many different types of masks have flooded the market.

So which mask is best?

A new study from Duke University examined a variety of masks to see which are most effective at blocking respiratory drops to protect carriers and the people around them.

BEST MASKS:

Surgical N95. This mask is manufactured according to surgical standards to provide a tight seal around the face. However, due to a shortage, most experts are asking members of the general public not to wear these masks so that they can be reserved for healthcare professionals.

Three-layer simple surgical mask. Widely available and found to provide the next-highest level of protection.

Cotton. The researchers examined several different types of cotton masks and found that most were quite effective, but best described it as a “Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask.”

WORST MASKS:

Fleece: The study found that this type of face covering is worse than no mask at all. The researchers found that fleece face covers – for example, a gaiter-neck fleece – actually break up respiratory droplets into smaller droplets instead of blocking them, releasing a larger number of individual droplets into the air. Those smaller drops are lighter in weight and therefore stay longer in air. “Considering that smaller particles carry air longer than large droplets (larger droplets sink faster), the use of such a mask can be counterproductive,” the researchers wrote.

Bandanas were also considered ineffective, though not at all as bad as no mask.

Knitted: These types of masks were not effective in blocking respiratory drops.

Dr. Anthony Cardillo, an ER specialist in Los Angeles who was not involved in the study, tells Eyewitness News that his clinic advised patients to wear simple surgical masks when they were in public. If these are not available, cotton masks are a good alternative, he said.

He added that people should avoid masks that have valves in them, even N95 masks, because those openings can exhale drops.

“So we want to advise everyone, everyone, to wear a simple surgical mask when you are out and about. If you can not get your hands on one … If you have to wear a mask, cotton mask is three- laugh the third best. “

The full study can be found here.