How Effective Is the Mask You're Wearing? You May Know Soon

[demmiblue]

Source: NYT

...

That may change soon. A division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to develop minimum filter efficiency standards, and labels showing which products meet them, for the vast and bewildering marketplace for masks and other face coverings.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the C.D.C. known as NIOSH, has been quietly writing guidelines with an industry-standard-setting organization, ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials), that are expected to be made public next month.

“By having a standard in place you will be able to know what level of protection is being achieved and you’ll have a consistent way of evaluating these products,” said Maryann D’Alessandro, director of the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory.

Since the pandemic began, there has been little federal oversight of masks and other face coverings. Both the Food and Drug Administration and the C.D.C. have some authority over the industry. The F.D.A., which regulates medical devices, shares authority with NIOSH for oversight of N95 respirators, which are the most protective devices available. But most of the masks worn by the general public are just pieces of cloth and don’t come under any regulatory oversight.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/health/covid-masks-effectiveness.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesscience

[flibbitygiblets]

1. thanks for getting right on that, CDC, nearly A YEAR INTO THE PANDEMIC

This fucking boils my blood. We've all been just winging it, hoping what we're doing is working. Meanwhile,

quietly writing guidelines with an industry-standard-setting organization, ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials), that are expected to be made public next month.

[PSPS]

3. Trump intentionally suppressed this action for the grifting

Remember all of those TV ads during the summer breathlessly selling masks "with free shipping!!!111!!!" CALL NOW!!111!!

The GOP business mantra has always been to confuse, overwhelm, and rip off. I was especially amused about the ads for the "easy to breath" ones that had actual holes in the side.

[SergeStorms]

16. The magic clear masks, with "silver particles" or "zinc particles".

I wouldn't go to a lonely hill-top with one of those "fashion" masks on my face. There's a sucker born every minute though, or so I've heard.

[My Pet Orangutan]

20. You missed out on the added fairy dust.

I'm so sorry. It was FREE with every order of 10 or more.

[WA-03 Democrat]

4. The standards are already there and widely available

ASTM Lvl 3 is all the CDC now needs to say. https://www.cardinalhealth.com/content/dam/corp/web/documents/whitepaper/Face%20Mask%20Selection%20Guide.pdf
But they could not because if you wore a mask it meant you didn’t love Dear Leader. Dear Leader caused the PPE shortages by zeroing out the Obama pandemic task force plan to have mask manufacturing lines in the wings and ready.

Let’s use the emergency powers act to get our own supply chain in place in the USA. We import basically all our PPE because of the Dotard.

Foolishly, they denied the problem, they then tried to make money off the PPE, then the malaria drug graft. Now it’s herd immunity by fucking up everything.

[Redleg]

15. Yes, but now the products should be labeled

I assume that many people are ordering masks online and unless the online description or the box indicate that the product meets a specific standard, the standard itself does us little good.

[iluvtennis]

6. + 1. nt

[StClone]

2. My son gave me a N95 Last Father's Day

It is a great as it has replaceable filter, gel seal for comfort, does not fog up your glasses, and you never touch the mask only the straps.

[wnylib]

8. Wow. Where did he get it?

[StClone]

27. Here

https://store.envomask.com/envomask-n95-respirator-kit-p4.aspx?ShowReviews=True

[wnylib]

28. Thanks.

[fleabiscuit]

21. If I'm correct n95 masks don't filter on the output. Which is interesting. nt

[tymorial]

5. This has already been done

Surgical masks (non n95) are best for everyday prevention. Neck gaiters are the worst. I have a shit ton of surgical masks from before covid. We wore them whenever someone got a cold or flu symptoms.

That people are resistant to mask wearing is quite frankly stupid. Japan and China normalized mask wearing ages ago but of course we know better.

American culture seriously pisses me off at times. I can't blame the right entirely either because at the beginning many NGOs stated masks were useless

[wnylib]

9. There were posters hete at DU saying

that masks were useless, back in the beginning. I suppose they were repeating something they read or heard.

But that never made sense to me. If masks are useless, why do people in the OR wear them? Not N95s, but surgical masks? And if N95s provide good protection for medical personnel, wouldn't other types of masks provide at least partial protection?

Anyway, there are a number of websites that provide the results of various types of materials tested for efficacy as masks. More than one recommends 3 layers - two tightly woven cotton layers with a filter in between. Fit is important because even the best materials won't work well if there are gaps at the sides or at the bridge of the nose. I test the nose fit by putting on my reading glasses. If they fog up, I know that the nose fit is not secure enough.

[lark]

25. Information evolves when there's a brand new disease involved.

A good friend of mine is a private duty nurse, extremely smart and back in Feb. she was ragging at me about cloth masks being useless and no other masks were available at the time. More time and information and Fauci said masks are essential and surgical masks are now available and nurses have the N95 masks they need and she's now 100% pro mask.

[SergeStorms]

17. I had a crapload of leftover N95 masks.....

from before my Mom's demise. They were undoubtedly long past their "use by" date, but the elastic was still pliable. I think they were about $1 apiece back then. They were selling to $25 apiece the last time I checked on ebay. She had lungs made of wet rice paper, and anytime she left the house she had to wear them to prevent contracting a common cold. She made it to 91, so I can attest to their efficacy.

[JudyM]

7. Fit also matters, of course.

The best filtering material without the edges tight against the face is a fail.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. But the worst fit

still keeps you from touching your face.

[aggiesal]

10. This just in .... Next week ...

Maryann D’Alessandro, director of the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory

will be fired, for insubordination and countermanding Pendejo45's order to NOT wear mask, much less making them better!

[Kablooie]

12. I use KN95 masks

The Chinese version of N95. Not quite as protective as N95 but close and they are not approved for US medical use so they won’t deprive a medical worker.

The FDA has a list of approved brands. (There are many cheap Chinese fakes that don’t meet standards so you should pick a brand from the list. Amazon sells them. )

[truthisfreedom]

14. My understanding is that the Chinese standard for KN95 vs the US N95 are so similar

that the difference is negligible.

[Kablooie]

18. N95 are more secure because the straps go around the head instead of just the ears.

Last edited Thu Dec 17, 2020, 02:28 AM - Edit history (1)

They also have a pre-shaped nose piece.
KN95 nose strips are flat so you have to press them into shape.
Also N95 are preformed domes while KN95 are packed flat. You have to open them up.
So KN95 take a little more adjustment than N95 but if adjusted properly are essentially identical in their filtering ability.

[SergeStorms]

19. Not from what I've seen.

In a local Walgreen's they sell the KN95 masks from China, and they have single earloop elastics, and do not fit tightly to the face at all. I have some leftover N95 masks masks with two elastics which go completely around the head and fit very tightly to the face. Not so with the KN95 masks. I'm sure there are different brands which may be more efficacious though.

[Kablooie]

22. Probably a cheap knockoff.

Official KN95 come with a certificate of conformity.
I bought the Nan Qi Xing KN95 Masks and they fit tightly.

[fleabiscuit]

23. They are no better than most masks for the virus.

The virus size varies to smaller than what the 95 masks would filter out if they were solid particles. The covid virus is so small that it doesn't travel in a straight trajectory, they jump all over the place. Even thin surgical masks will trap it.

[Kablooie]

29. I think the advantage of N95 and KN95 is that the edges are sealed.

The surgical masks will trap virus that penetrate the material but the openings on the sides still allow virus to enter if it is airborne, which can occur under certain circumstances.

[Cozmo]

13. Just watched the documentary "Totally Under Control"

Wouldn't trust a thing from these 2 agencies whatsoever

[littlemissmartypants]

24. I wear two different masks.

First, I put on a fine cotton knit, two layer mask. On top of that, I wear three layered surgical mask. I also, always wear some kind of eye protection from standard sunglasses to safety glasses. I haven't used shields yet. I will if I feel compelled. Before I retired I used to wear surgical masks and shields routinely.

[Maxheader]

26. They should take into consideration those with respiratory..

Problems. We can't always breath through some of the masks that fit close

to the face..