Why we need to wear the proper masks to protect us against Covid19 virus
What’s the purpose of wearing a mask? Masks don’t do anything.
My response to this? Tell that to the surgeon and nurses next time you’re in surgery!
As we breathe air in and out we are also breathing in any particles that are in the same air – dust and pollen for example - asthmatics and people who suffer from hay-fever around the world will not argue with this statement.
So it stands to reason that we will also be breathing in any other airborne particles, smoke for example from recent bushfires (if you are in the area), bacteria, or maybe even a virus such as influenza or Coronavirus.
If we want to protect ourselves from breathing in these particles, we need to be able to filter the air we breathe, and short of walking around in gas masks, facial masks are our best and most affordable option.
But does the type of mask you wear matter?
Consider this….
The graphic attached shows the size of various particles we may find in the air. See the size of the average respiratory particle, 5-10micrometers, and the average size of the Covid19 particle 0.1-0.5 micrometers…. A Coronavirus particle is 10-100 times smaller than a respiratory droplet. And even a smaller dust particle at 2.5 micrometers is still 5 - 25 times larger than a coronavirus particle.
So, when choosing which mask to wear, consider if the material it is made from, and the fit to you face, is sufficient to filter out airborne particles that are on average 0.3 microns in size.
N95 Masks (also P2 masks) are tested to provide a 95% filtration efficiency for particles with a minimum size of 0.3 microns. BUT the way the mask fit matters and an ill-fitting mask can reduce effectiveness to as low as 40%.
And FYI, HEPA filters (in air purifiers for example) have a 99.7% efficiency.
