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Masks have proven to be one of the most effective tools in mitigating the transmission of the coronavirus, but not all face masks are created equal.
Researchers at Duke University recently started a debate on bandanas and neck protectors earlier this month when they published results on the effectiveness of 14 different face coatings in filtering respiratory droplets and found significant differences in performance.
The study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, found that N95 fitted respirators worked best, followed by surgical masks and cotton masks that had a layer of synthetic material between two layers of cotton. (The United States continues to experience a shortage of N95 respirators, so experts say these should be reserved for frontline healthcare workers.)
Neck guards have been the least successful in suppressing respiratory droplets that might infect others, followed by bandanas. But not everyone thinks it’s a discovery we should experience. The New York Times even urged its readers to “save the gaiters!”
“For [the neck gaiter], we actually saw what appeared to be an increase in the number of particles, ”Martin Fischer, one of the report’s authors, said during a press call. “We attribute this to the mesh fabric actually dispersing some of these droplets.” He added that smaller particles could linger in the air longer than large droplets that could be expelled without a mask.
But a later report from researchers at Virginia Tech found that the gaiters offered similar protection to other sheet masks recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that a lined gaiter offered more protection than a single layer. .
It is possible that the composition of the gaiters used in the studies played a role. “Wrapped around it all [debate] is the problem with tissues that haven’t been tested well, ”said Eric Westman, one of the authors of the Duke study. Duke researchers used a gaiter made from a blend of polyester and spandex, while the Virginia Tech study used a 100% polyester gaiter and one similar in composition to the Duke gaiter.
So which masks are most effective in preventing the spread of droplets? It is difficult to know precisely at the moment.
But Fischer, of the Duke Study, suggested this general rule: “If you have two masks and one of them is really easy to see and breathe and another [is] no, it’s probably a good bet that the thicker one will work better.
Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at George Mason University and the University of Arizona, has recommended using surgical masks or three-layer cotton masks for now. “I don’t think we should take either of the studies to mean that we can’t wear certain masks, but rather that for those with worrying results, maybe avoid them until we have more research, ”she said.
At the same time, an earlier study published in July in the journal Thorax found that double-layered fabric face coverings were more effective at reducing droplet spread from coughing and sneezing than single-layer fabric masks. layer, but noted that single layer face coverings are even better than no face cover. In this study, surgical masks also outperformed fabric masks.
“The general consensus around the world is that masks work and everyone should wear a mask,” Westman said.
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