Everything you need to know about masks
And Why you should wear them
“Horror is the removal of masks.”
― Robert Bloch
The novel corona virus disease is not so novel anymore as we near the grim one year mark since it started in China in December 2019, has infected millions, killed hundreds of thousand, crippled economies and has brought the world to its knees. Along the way, we faced a fair bit of controversies right from how it is managed to how to prevent the spread.
One thing is certain though; This virus is here to stay.
There are only three ways you can protect yourself from getting infected with this novel pathogen.
Social distancing
Regular Hand washing
Appropiate use of masks
The role of Masks in this pandemic
The controversy over mask started with the initial claim of WHO that masks may not be beneficial, followed by retracting that statement and accepting that masks are not only beneficial but absolutely essential. Although, some people question the whole organization’s credibility based on this and their half-baked knowledge, WHO is still the best hope for mankind and are still playing a crucial role in leading the fight against COVID.
The initial jolts we faced in managing this virus is primarily due to two reasons: We underestimated the virus capabilities and we overestimated our ability in fighting back.
With time and coordinated research, it is becoming increasingly clearer that depending on the type, masks can not only protect you from getting the disease but also limit the spread. This is crucial in bringing the R0(number of additional cases that result directly from an infected person) value down.Masks are not only considered as essential protective gear nowadays but also have become a fashion statement. When we look at the masks available at market, we are spoilt for choices. We are facing a variety of masks starting from a 99¢
Polyester mask to a 300$ Louis Vuitton monogramed mask. We have a regular cloth mask to industrial grade ffp3 mask. So, which mask to choose?
Masks are widely classified into three types.
Fabric Mask.
Surgical Mask
Respirator mask
Fabric Mask:
Technically, any means you use to cover your nose and mouth are called masks. Fabric masks are the ones currently recommended for regular use. Although, we agree that it is the least effective of the masks we will be discussing about in the coming pages. Fabric mask can be made of any of the commonly available material such as cotton, wool or polyester. The advantage because of this is that it can be home made and thereby potentially unlimited supply. Second advantage is that its reusable after washing thereby economical.
Are Fabric masks as effective as other types?
Honest answer is NO. Fabric masks are loose fitting, often not multilayered and allow air in and around the sides. They impede only 2% of airflow and may not filter the virus particles effectively.
The reason why CDC and WHO still recommends fabric mask is because they are economical, more likely for a person to be compliant wearing the mask as it doesn’t hinder breathing in any way, comfortable and most importantly, if you are wearing any mask you are less likely to touch your face. When a person wearing a mask coughs or sneezes, it definitely contains the amount of grossness released by them and thereby directly reducing the amount of viral load released by that person.
Unless you are directly in touch with a person who is infected or in a job where you might potentially come into close contact with someone infected, fabric mask is more than sufficient. It is definitely better than wearing no mask. One of the main disadvantages of these types of masks is that it can give a sense of false protection and might make people lower their defenses by letting go off social distancing.
For your regular day to day activities such as a visit to your nearest supermarket, Fabric mask combined with a minimum 6 feet social distancing can be as effective as any other mask.
Surgical Masks:
Surgical masks are disposable, loose fitting masks, usually rectangular with pleats or folds on them. They are usually fluid resistance and have multiple layers.
The surgical mask’s three-ply layers work as follows:
The outer layer repels water, blood, and other body fluids.
The middle layer filters certain pathogens.
The inner layer absorbs moisture and sweat from exhaled air
It shares some of the disadvantages of fabric masks such as its loose fitting. While they do cover your mouth and nose, due to the loose gaps, particle can still enter your mouth or nose from the sides.Therefore, they can’t filter out small airborne particles such as those transmitted by coughing or sneezing Having said that, a surgical mask have shown 80–90% effective in case of viruses and almost 100 % effective for bacterial infections. Surgical masks can also prevent the wearer from expelling large amount of virus into the atmosphere through mucous or spit. This factor is important in reducing the viral load that gets released into the atmosphere.
Being a disposable mask, it is strongly advised you don’t use this mask for more than one day. Washing this mask is as good as destroying it. Most important of all, care should be taken when you dispose the mask so that disease don’t spread through the discarded mask.
Respirator mask
Respirator masks are predominantly pollution masks and industrial masks as they are airtight and depending on their model, they filter out particles of varying size. Variety of names such as N95, N99, N100, FFP, KN95 can be quite confusing.
Broadly there are only 3 types of respirator masks. The varying terminology of name is based on their certifying body’s nation. Each standard varies a little by country but however they are broadly similar. America uses N standard, China uses KN standard and in Europe its FFP. N95/KN95/FFP2 are all same. It just means they filter out more than 95% of particles that are 0.3 microns (roughly the size of a virus). N100/KN100/FFP3 filter out 100% of particles of 0.3 microns. Both types are effective in filtering out almost all pollutants of PM 2.5.
Bottomline is, although Respirator mask can provide an effective barrier against the virus there is a catch. The mask should be worn airtight. There is no one size fits all. It may not fit properly on children or people with facial hair. If the mask is not worn airtight, then its efficacy reduces to that of any other mask. These masks cannot be reused, and frequent handling of the mask can reduce its efficacy. Long term use can loosen its elasticity too.
Respirator type masks are not economical and is of little benefit to the general public. They are of limited supply and unnecessary usage by people who are at low risk can reduce its availability for people who are most at risk such as frontline workers who come in direct and close contact with COVID-19 infection.
Activated Carbon masks
This is another type of mask widely available in market although its efficacy is questiionable. As the name suggests, these masks has activated carbon as filter. Studies have shown carbon works very well in filtering out pollutants but has little effect in filtering the virus. Hence, this mask is not considered as the best choice for the current pandemic.
Valved vs Unvalved Mask
Almost all the types of respirator masks described above can be produced as a valved mask. Valve is basically a comfort device that allows one-way exit for the air you breath out.
Unvalved masks means the filtration system is built into the fabric, so usually these masks are less bulky and light weight, but downside is you can quickly feel stuffy and sweaty due to the airtight nature of the mask.
Valved masks are usually fitted with a one-way mask. These valves control the amount of air and the speed with which they can escape. This makes these valves slightly more comfortable but the downsize is if a person is infected already, then they can spread the virus into the atmosphere freely without any control mechanism. So never wear a valved mask unless you have an underlying respiratory condition. Valved masks are not designed for pandemics.
It doesn’t matter which mask you choose, unless you want to be the Typhoid Mary of 21st century,
Wear a mask.Masks save lives.
