By Jesse Mossman
Wed, Jun 10, 2020 11:23 a.m.Simple N95 Mask Solution
Some of us are over 60 and have other health problems which make us at high risk of dying or suffering severe long-term damage from the Wuhan Virus. Those of you who are 28 and in perfect health can ignore this as the chances of you suffering any ill effects of the virus are pretty slim.
But some of us are over-the-hill and have other health problems but would prefer to stick around for several more decades. For us, an N95 or better mask reduces the chance of catching the virus on necessary excursions out into the germy world. My wife and I happen to have just two N95 masks that we had for over 10 years and which we wear to the grocery store, but it seems impossible to get any more. We let the masks dry out in the house for a week between uses--three days is supposed to be enough for the germs to be deactivated (I didn't say die because viruses aren't really alive). But I don't know how long the masks can continue to be used and in Snohomish County where I live, there continues to be new cases of the virus and more deaths (23 new cases two days ago).
I also happen to have a box of old medical masks. However, although one study found such masks nearly as effective as N95 masks, another one found that such masks were only half as effective at protecting the users. It is clear that even if the filtration material is good, the poor fit of ordinary medical masks allows plenty of germ-filled air to bypass the mask.
Now there is a solution--an engineer has created a simple way to seal the edges of the mask using 3 elastic bands. Here is the link for anyone who wishes to use this method.
By the way, the W.H.O. has reversed itself (again) and now says healthy people should wear masks to protect themselves. Personally, I ignore any proclamations from W.H.O. or government as being politically-based propaganda. I look for nonpolitical sources of information. Unfortunately these studies also often contradict each other. Using rational thinking, it is clear that a tight fit on the edges would reduce bypass of air and if the air bypasses the mask, it is not filtered. That is why I believe the study that found the N95 mask was twice as effective as the regular medical mask. Hopefully this elastic band fix is effective.
Good luck and hopefully we all survive.
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