A week ago, the official stand about wearing masks was that people SHOULD NOT wear it. Organizations like WHO and CDC were constantly telling people to not wear masks, because they said that the masks can’t really protect you from Coronavirus.
But now the opinion has changed as new data has been released from the SARS outbreak of 2003, which shows that wearing masks is indeed more effective than what was thought earlier.
Now the latest expert opinion is that you SHOULD DEFINITELY wear masks, but avoid N95 masks
Another reason the officials warned people to not wear masks is because the medical workers and actually sick people need them more, and supply for the N95 masks was really low. So the people who didn’t really need an N95 were advised against wearing it.
The situation hasn’t changed even a tiny bit yet, since the supply for N95 respirators and even surgical masks is still drastically low.
So the Center for Disease Prevention & Control has issued information that while you should definitely wear masks to protect yourself, you should make it yourself at home and not buy out the N95 since they are needed more urgently in hospitals.
Are homemade masks actually effective?
This might seem surprising but the argument given by reputed medical experts is that Coronavirus spreads through sneezing and coughing – so wearing any kind of protective mask is definitely better than nothing.
How to make masks at home?
Still, the most important thing to consider is that homemade masks should be used only as a last resort. The best thing to practice is that you stay home and isolate yourself.
If you decide to make your own mask at home, the important thing to know is that the mask should cover your entire area from your mouth to your nose, and it should allow no passage of air from the sides.
Next important thing to know is what materials you should use to make your mask.
Many people in public have been seen covering their faces with a sleeve or bandana, it is not effective even though it offers a very minuscule amount of protection. And even though a bandana only blocks 10% of air’s harmful particles – many doctors and nurses have been wearing it due to the lack of N95 masks.
What materials to use in a homemade mask?
Although, the expert opinion is that these are the materials you should not use to make your mask:
- Pantyhose
- Bandana
- Handkerchief
- T-shirt
- Saran wrap
- Sleeve
- Wool
And here are the materials you should use to make your mask at home:
- Silk
- Nylon
- Cotton
- Vacuum cleaner filter
N95 vs Homemade masks, what’s the difference?
N95 masks are made from polypropylene which is a thermoplastic polymer that removes 95% of the harmful particles from that the air that you are breathing.
According to the IOM and Committee guidebook, the respirators and medical masks are made of “non-woven fibrous materials” such as wool felt, fiberglass paper, or polypropylene which block particles and germs while allowing the air to pass through.
Since it’s hard for common people to find any of these materials, so there is a much simple solution about how you can use easily found materials to make an effective mask.
Use three layers of Fabric
According to Business Insider, you should use three layers of fabric in your mask – silk on the outside, and comfortable cotton on the inside, while the middle layer should be something thick which could either be cotton or nylon.
For the middle layer, you can also use six layers of gauze which should be sewn in a tight-fitting manner. On previous occasions, six layers of gauze have been known to block 95% of the tuberculosis bacteria.
If you really want something as effective as an N95 mask, then you should use a vacuum filter (also known as HEPA bags) as the middle layer – which is in fact, even better since it can remove 99.7% of the particles from the air.
When you have these fabrics with you, you can just sew them together – keeping the silk on the outside and cotton on the inside – while using the middle layer of your choice which could be a thick layer of cotton or nylon, or six layers of gauze, or a vacuum filter.
Make sure that you sew them together in such a way that the edges are folded and stitched properly – so that they don’t allow any extra air from the sides when you wear the mask.
Are these homemade masks reusable?
Actually, no. Like every kind of mask – they cannot be washed for using again. The reason behind this is that the filter inside traps the harmful particles inside it – and when you wash it, the particles are removed but the structural integrity of the fabric changes, the pores in it get bigger and they can no longer trap the particles.
The best thing to do is to wear your mask only when you go out in public or when you are interacting with some stranger who might have the infection. At other times, don’t wear the mask.
If you really need to reuse then you can sew your mask in such a way that it can be opened from the bottom, and you can remove the filter from inside and replace it with a fresh piece.
All Featured Images Courtesy: Greenmatters