Updated: 16 Dec 2020, 20:20
WEARING a used face mask can be worse than not wearing one at all, a new study has claimed.
Researchers specifically looked at the three-layer surgical masks, which are commonly worn among healthcare professionals.
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The three-layer masks are among the most recommended to protect yourself and others from contracting Covid-19Credit: Alamy
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The researcher s model showed that when people wear face masks, it changes the way the air flows around the faceCredit: Getty Images - Getty
They found that when the masks are worn for the first time the can filter out nearly three-quarters of tiny particles that stay in the air and are most responsible for infection.
Researchers looked at the protectiveness of three-layer surgical masks against inhaling coronavirus-infected droplets
They found that air, which contain tiny aerosols, don t enter the mouth and nose at specific points, but through the entire mask surface at low speeds
A computer model found that, when new, surgical masks can filter 65% of droplets and, when used, they can filter just 25%
The team believes this is because the shape of masks can change with each use, and that wearing a used mask can be less effective than no mask at all
Credit: Jinxiang Xi
WASHINGTON, December 15, 2020 Even though it has been widely known that wearing a face mask will help mitigate the community spread of COVID-19, less is known regarding the specific effectiveness of masks in reducing the viral load in the respiratory tracts of those wearing them.
In
Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and California Baptist University examined the effect of wearing a three-layer surgical mask on inspiratory airflows and the mask s effects on the inhalation and deposition of ambient particles in the upper respiratory airways. It is natural to think that wearing a mask, no matter new or old, should always be better than nothing. Our results show that this belief is only true for particles larger than 5 micrometers, but not for fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, said author Jinxiang Xi.
Scientists have used a computational model to further our knowledge of how face masks impact airflow. In a new study, published this month in the journal
Physics of Fluids, from the American Institute of Physics, a team of scientists from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and California Baptist University explains how not all masks protect the same from COVID-19 transmission. They conclude that old masks may be worse than not wearing a mask at all. These findings will likely influence the guidance on mask-wearing and potentially mask design.
Pressure and particle motions with and without a mask. Image Credit: Jinxiang Xi
GoFundMe Set Up For 18-Year-Old Hart Grad In Need Of Skull Surgery
A GoFundMe has been set up to support medical bills for an 18-year-old soccer player and Hart High School alum who was recently diagnosed with a structural skull defect that could cause permanent damage to her brain and spinal cord.
18-year-old Ruby Burroughs has been diagnosed with a type of skull defect called a Chiari malformation, and her friends have started a GoFundMe to pay for corrective surgery in order to help prevent serious spinal and nerve damage.
Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
Chiari malformation is a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, rather than simply sitting above the foramen magnum, an opening in the skull that allows the spinal cord to connect to the brain.