N95 Masks: Let's Clear The Air.

[I594 Sucks]

There has been a lot of false info going around claiming that N95 masks are not effective for protecting the wearer of the mask. It is being suggested that the mask is intended to prevent those wearing the mask from contaminating others. This is a complete load of digested grass when it comes to the N95 mask that homedepot, lowes and others have been selling. The masks frequently purchased in the hardware dept. are designed to protect the user from inhaling particals. They are not designed to filter the air you exhale. This is most obvious with N95 mask that have a one way flap valve that allows exhaled air to bypass that filter media of the mask. Hospital masks may be designed and work differently so I won't speak to how effective those are at filtering exhaled air.

I wear both N95 masks and a half mask with cartridges rated for organic vapors at my place of employment and I'm familiar with how they work. They are designed to filter incoming air not exhaled air.

I understand the supply issue and worries about shortages but if healthcare professionals tell me the N95 masks are not designed to protect the user then they lose credibilty with me.

Edit CDC describes what an N95 mask does:
What is an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR)?

• An N95 FFR is a type of respirator which removes particles from the air that are breathed through it. These respirators filter out at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) particles. N95 FFRs are capable of filtering out all types of particles, including bacteria and viruses.

One would almost think that we're being warned off masks, because health care providers are having such a tough time getting them, with all the panic buying.

 

[arakboss]

One would almost think that we're being warned off masks, because health care providers are having such a tough time getting them, with all the panic buying.

I would be fine with that if they didn't lie to us about whether the masks work or not. Clearly they work, as the CDC has approved many of the N95 mask for protection against viruses. The health providers also believe they work or they wouldn't be worried about a shortage.

 

[Defense Minister]

Viruses are about a hundredth the size of bacteria and their virions are unable to be seen with an optical microscope. That is why when treating water you can filter out bacteria, but viruses must be killed with heat or chemicals. I would not trust a mask to keep me safe from viruses...

 

[Xaevian]

View attachment 665413

I would replace my eye peices with rose tinted lenses.

 

[CarlMc]

At the risk of adding to the noise, I think the OP missed something, along with several contributors. First off, the NIOSH N95 standard simply means that there's a filtration efficiency of 95%. N99 is 99% efficient, and N100 is 99.97%. Filtration is the media the mask uses to filter air that goes through it, regardless of the direction. The exhalation valve, NOT related to the N designation, allows exhaled air out to keep the mask from getting damp and acting as a flow restriction. If your goal is to protect the world from you and your cooties, you DON"T want an exhalation valve. If you want to protect yourself from the world, an exhalation valve is really nice to have. If you're like me and have facial hair, then you have to expect some reduced efficiency (not some really, a lot) because hair keeps the mask from sealing well. Many careers ago when I was young, clean shaven, and worked shightier jobs I spent several hours in a drive in freezer, tossing masks left and right because they iced up and I couldn't breath anymore. An exhalation valve would have been fantastic, but it was a bubblegume job, after all. Choose your PPE based on whether or not the valve is best suited for your application, and the filtration efficiency based on the things you don't want to get through.

Useful link:

NIOSH air filtration rating - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[arakboss]

At the risk of adding to the noise, I think the OP missed something, along with several contributors. First off, the NIOSH N95 standard simply means that there's a filtration efficiency of 95%. N99 is 99% efficient, and N100 is 99.97%. Filtration is the media the mask uses to filter air that goes through it, regardless of the direction. The exhalation valve, NOT related to the N designation, allows exhaled air out to keep the mask from getting damp and acting as a flow restriction. If your goal is to protect the world from you and your cooties, you DON"T want an exhalation valve. If you want to protect yourself from the world, an exhalation valve is really nice to have. If you're like me and have facial hair, then you have to expect some reduced efficiency (not some really, a lot) because hair keeps the mask from sealing well. Many careers ago when I was young, clean shaven, and worked shightier jobs I spent several hours in a drive in freezer, tossing masks left and right because they iced up and I couldn't breath anymore. An exhalation valve would have been fantastic, but it was a bubblegume job, after all. Choose your PPE based on whether or not the valve is best suited for your application, and the filtration efficiency based on the things you don't want to get through.

Useful link:

NIOSH air filtration rating - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I believe the N95 mask with an exhalation valve still carry a N95 rating because they are measured for their ability to filter on inhalation not exhalation. I agree with the points you made.

The message we were getting from some health care experts was that N95 mask were only effective during exhaling which is wrong and not what most of the N95 mask sold in hardware depts were designed for. Medical N95 mask might be a whole different ballgame.

 

[Certaindeaf]

My house is still plastic and duct tape sealed from the 2003 Orange Alert biological scare so I'm good.

 

[Hueco]

...but viruses can only live outside the body for extremely short periods...

Please be very specific about the information that you spread. The statement as you've written it is patently false.

(Source for below, emphasis mine: https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext)

We therefore reviewed the literature on all available information about the persistence of human and veterinary coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces as well as inactivation strategies with biocidal agents used for chemical disinfection, e.g. in healthcare facilities. The analysis of 22 studies reveals that human coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus or endemic human coronaviruses (HCoV) can persist on inanimate surfaces like metal, glass or plastic for up to 9 days, but can be efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 62–71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute.

A longevity study has, to my knowledge, not been completed on nCov-2019 but there is also little reason to expect it to behave differently than SARS and MERS. So, we should expect contaminated surfaces to be that way for up to 9 days. Successful infection rates from contaminated surfaces have also not been calculated yet, so one should be cautious until or if the data proves otherwise.

 

[Sweep1308]

Viruses are about a hundredth the size of bacteria and their virions are unable to be seen with an optical microscope. That is why when treating water you can filter out bacteria, but viruses must be killed with heat or chemicals. I would not trust a mask to keep me safe from viruses...

If viruses were able to just fly out of a host and carry themselves to another host, I would agree with you. The reality, however is that they are spread through contact with common surfaces and then through a mucous membrane or open wound, much the same as bacteria. They can also be spread by droplets from sneezes or coughs. My point is, they need a carrier to be transmitted in air. The virus may be small, but the drop of saliva/mucus/etc are larger and easily stopped by a filtrate barrier such as a surgical mask. Yes, as mentioned above, your eyes aren't protected in this case. But masks DO help. They are only a part of the solution. Wash your hands. Often.

 

[Defense Minister]

They can also be spread by droplets from sneezes or coughs.

In fact, droplets from sneezes/coughs are perhaps the most common form of spread. However, once the droplet hits the mask the filtrate material absorbs the moisture and creates greater surface area for it to evaporate, likely within 15 minutes. As soon as there are no longer water molecules available to bind the less-than-microscopic virus, it will be inhaled on the next breath.

I'm not saying masks have no place in preparedness, or even in viral outbreaks, but when it comes to viruses I'm hedging my bets!

 

[Xaevian]

You should not be reading articles in magizines or medical journals that are above your ability to comprehend/understand.

DROPLETS YOU IDIOT

Namecalling, really? C'mon now...forum rule #1. Folks can disagree and still be excellent to each other.

Thanks.

 

[arakboss]

Namecalling, really? C'mon now...forum rule #1. Folks can disagree and still be excellent to each other.

Thanks.

Agreed! @nethinim this thread is important and I do not want it closed for less than excellent comments.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Please remain on topic....
Without tossing around insults and less than excellent remarks.
Thank you
Andy

 

[Kruel J]

Please remain on topic....
Without tossing around insults and less that excellent remarks.
Thank you
Andy

There you go Andy, being all rational and stuff.

 

[wp4]

Wow, this thread just got refreshingly smaller! Thx mods!

 

[Kruel J]

Wow, this thread just got refreshingly smaller! Thx mods!

Small enough for an N95 mask to be effective??

 

[Andy54Hawken]

There you go Andy, being all rational and stuff.

Yep happens at times....can't proof read for beans though...
I meant to say :
"Without insults and less than excellent remarks"....
I originally had "that: instead of than....
Andy

 

[Kruel J]

Yep happens at times....can't spell for beans though...
I meant to say :
"Without insults and less than excellent remarks"....
I originally had "that: instead of than....
Andy

I like Angry Andy though too......

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I like Angry Andy though too......

Aww...
I don't get angry...I just call in Arty or an air strike.....
Andy

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Back on topic though...

I have seen more folks with masks on and some area schools are closed for cleaning and such.
We are still in session....but we have been giving reminders and demonstrations on how to wash hands , covering the mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing and the like...
Andy