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| Those of you who are laughing at the video showing a gentleman spraying deodorant at various masks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxMxxWwmG3Q&feature=youtu.be
need to consider a few things. The human sneeze or cough is more forceful than the average deodorant spray. The average deodorant spray is 10-50 microns in particulate size.
For those critical of this testing method, it is similar to what the CDC did in their test:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nioshtic-2/00210276.html
For reference, 1 micron is one-millionth of a meter or one-thousandth of a millimeter or about 39 millionths of an inch
A human hair CROSS SECTIONALLY is 50-75 microns (Our eyes cannot see much less than 40 microns)
Masks listed in order of effectiveness:
N95 95% effective at stopping particles .3-.5 micron (depending on source of information)
Surgical masks 60-80% effective .3-5 yes (5 I didn't forget the decimal. Surgical masks are largely for preventing dropping trash in a patient moreso than stopping germs.) obviously depending on type of mask.
Bandanna will stop anything larger than 200 microns when new and falls to about 400-600 microns after washing.
Other cotton has ratings slightly greater or less than a bandanna depending on cotton type.
Basically, if you can see light through your mask, it is going to stop a loogie or booger, but is not going to stop anything that is potentially harmful.
I am very aware of masks and their efficacy as I am a contractor on wildland fires in CA and an EMR in EMT school. Even wearing an N95, I end up spitting and blowing black crap for 2-3 days after a big fire.
The things that are really harmful, the things that cause lung cancer and other debilitating lung ailments are not all stopped by the N95. In fact, during the Camp Fire (The one that destroyed Paradise CA), we were told that the N95 was little better than nothing.
What does this have to do with COVID? The Coronavirus is .125 microns in size. That means the virus, by itself, will pass through any mask discussed (A respirator will stop it, but not the average mask). People argue that the virus is attached to spittle. Fine; spittle can be as small as 30-50 nm (nanometers) in size or .03-.05 microns. In other words, none of the above masks will stop it. Let's say that the virus is on a big booger that landed on your mask. After the booger dries, will the .125 virus detach and pass through the mask? I haven't a clue. My point is, the virus can potentially pass through any mask.
What do I know? Not much, but I am fairly confident that anything other than an N95 alone is foolish. I have a Nomex face mask that I put over my N95 that gives it a little more life by knocking down the really large particulates (Nomex is denser by far than cotton or bandannas.).
I am certainly not saying do not wear a mask. Yes. Something is better than nothing. I am saying DO NOT BANK ON A COTTON MASK ALONE SAVING YOU. Layered cotton masks will not do anything for you either. I see all sorts of stuff other than N95s and when people remove those masks, their faces are black with soot (Soot, 6-30 nm or .006-.03 microns). If soot is on your face, it is in your lungs.
Yes, wear something but don't kid yourself that it will save you.
Let me add, if you have a mask but touch it when you remove it or do not leave it on as you undress, viral particles may drift up from your clothes to be inhaled you will likely be contaminated. Firefighters no longer leave their gear by their racks for quick exits. They have found that the nasty toxins on their fire gear from past fires can be inhaled as they sleep. Your contaminated clothes after a visit to the store have the same potential. If your wife picks up those clothes, she may have them on her hands or her clothes. This I do know. I am a graduate of the Marine Corps' Nuclear Biological and Chemical Warfare School. Complete and thorough decontamination is very difficult.
Be careful, use your head, but don't kid yourself.
That's my 2 1/2 cents worth.
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Worthless masks response
