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News > U.S.

Not All Face Masks Provide the Same Protection, Study Says

  • A woman wearing a protective masks walks past a stall selling protective masks, hand sanitizer and face shields in Bangkok, Thailand. August 18 2020.

    A woman wearing a protective masks walks past a stall selling protective masks, hand sanitizer and face shields in Bangkok, Thailand. August 18 2020. | Photo: EFE

Published 19 August 2020
Opinion

The study found that N95 respirators have a better performance in all scenarios, as well as surgical masks and cotton masks with an internal synthetic fabric layer. Neck gaiters, tied scarfs, and bandanas resulted in the worst.

A U.S. Duke University study revealed that even though face masks prevent the spread of COVID-19,  not all types provide the same protection from the virus.

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The investigators evaluated the accuracy of 14 masks type according to their material, purpose, and design. They recreated saliva droplets expelling in each case in talking, shouting, and coughing.

The study found that N95 respirators have a better performance in all scenarios, as well as surgical masks and cotton masks with an internal synthetic fabric layer. Neck gaiters, tied scarfs, and bandanas resulted in the worst.

“For [the neck gaiter], we actually saw what seemed to be an increase in the particle numbers. We attribute that to the mesh fabric actually dispersing some of those droplets,” one of the study’s heads authors Martin Fischer said.

However, the researchers found that fabric amount, quality, and layering also determine droplets contention.  Bandanas and gaiters with more than two cloth films have better covering.

Since early in the pandemic, the World Health Organization and other institutions insisted on mask use as paramount to restrain the infections, especially for frontline workers. After a worldwide increase in surgical masks and its subsequent shortage, handmade cloth masks became the most extended protection accessory.

“The general consensus worldwide is that masks work, and everyone should wear a mask,” said a study co-author Eric Westman.

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