Protective masks to contain the Corona of a pandemic?
What materials and Designs are suitable for the face masks to protect against COVID-19 best? Good Seating, self-made masks with several layers of fabric and a commercially available cone masks, seem to be significantly more effective than loose-folded face masks and Bandana-like covers.
In a study of the College of Engineering and Computer Science Florida Atlantic University was studied, which is easily available masks, the biggest protection against the spread of COVID-19 offer. The results were published in the English journal “Physics of Fluids”.
Masks offer effective protection?
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To protect against COVID-19, the droplets spread must be minimized in the case of coughing or Sneezing. There have already been studies that have looked into the masks of medical quality, however, only few data on the everyday protective masks are available. The question is, how effective is self-made masks, wipes, folded face mask, and a commercially available cone masks is to protect against COVID-19.
Why do we use masks to protect against COVID-19?
Through the visualization of downstream built-in coughing and Sneezing, the researchers sought a method to assess the effectiveness of the face to develop a mask. The basic idea behind the recommendation for the use of masks or other face coverings is to reduce the risk of Transmission of respiratory droplets from infected to healthy persons
Droplet spread was simulated with the help of a doll
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It was used for the visualization in a laboratory environment, a mixture of distilled water and glycerin, to create a synthetic fog that simulates the ejection of droplets. The researchers observed the droplets, which were ejected from the mouth of a doll, while you are coughing and Sneezing simulated.
What masks have been studied?
With the help of the above-mentioned method masks were tested, which are for the General Public, easily available. Were tested in a single layer Bandana-like cover, a homemade mask that was sewn from two layers of fabric tree quilt fabric cotton with 70 threads per inch, and a non-sterile cone mask, which is available in most pharmacies. While the use of these masks, the doll, the spread of recorded paths of the droplets. So it was impossible to assess how high the protective effect of the tested masks.
What masks protect best?
The results show that loosely folded face masks and Bandana-stop similar covers aerosol humanized respiratory droplets only to a relatively small degree. Good Seating, self-made masks with several layers of quilted fabric and a commercially available cone masks proved to be much more effective in the reduction of droplet spread. Although also here a certain amount of leakage through the mask material, and through small gaps at the edges.
How much reduced masks, the droplet ejection
Simulated coughing without a mask, meant that the droplets were more than a bump of 2.4 metres. With a Bandana as a mask, the value was around 1.3 meters, with a folded cotton handkerchief close to 0.4 metres, with the quilted cotton mask at about 0.06 meters and the cone-shaped mask in the case of about 0.2 meters.
Awareness of effective preventive measures must be promoted
“In addition to a first note on the effectiveness of protective equipment in our study used image can contribute material to explain to the Public the reasons for the social distancing guidelines and recommendations for the use of face masks,” stressed study author Dr. Siddhartha Verma from Florida Atlantic University in a press release. The promotion of a broad awareness of effective preventive measures at the present time is of vital importance. (as)
