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Only 600,000 of those are N95 standard, suitable for health care and using the special fabric in short supply. Mask wear in Asia is common, for smog, smoke and

Only 600,000 of those are N95 standard, suitable for health care and using the special fabric in short supply. Mask wear in Asia is common, for smog, smoke and controlling flu. The cheap ones don't last long, and often replaced instead of put through the wash. Common mask usage requires use of cheaper, more comfortable masks rather than the health care certified ones.

bootlooped 7y ago
I would wear an N95 mask sometimes in Asia, to mitigate the pollution. I didn't throw it away after each use. I imagine their use by medical professionals to be a much different case though. I think a lot of Asian people wore the cheap cloth ones. I have learned recently that these sometimes have replaceable inserts inside them.
- adrianN 7y ago
  The masks filter pollution about as effectively after prolonged use as when they're new. The problem for medical use is contamination with germs.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    > The masks filter pollution about as effectively after prolonged use as when they're new. Filters generally get better at filtering as they get dirty. A pore with a mountain of dirt/dust over it gets even better at only permitting gasses through. But that also means less and less flow, until you're letting nothing through at all. I think the other problem for medical use is moisture buildup. A damp/wet/sweaty N95 doesn't let gasses through very well.
    - jhanschoo 7y ago
      Do you have a source for that? The recommendations I've seen suggest otherwise, and this matches my intuition. Wear creates and enlarges pores, and also, pores of the right size get clogged resulting in more flow over pores that are too large to filter.
      - Scoundreller 7y ago
        Depends on what's hitting the filter. All "wear" will enlarge pores by definition, otherwise it's not wear. And in your example, if pores are 0.1-0.3micron, and you have uniform 0.2micron particles hitting it, yes. But reality isn't usually so uniform. Shards of glass will create more problems for the filter media than shredded N95 mask dust :) A mask covered in saw dust will slow down and make a particle hit against the filter more turbulent = less chance of forcing its way through.
AdrianB1 7y ago
Are the regular masks (not N95) efficient at all for smog and smoke? I think they are just paper masks stopping only large particles.
Dahoon 7y ago
>Mask wear in Asia is common, for smog, smoke and controlling flu The normal is wearing them to protect others, not yourself.
- stubish 7y ago
  Where I was in Asia it was one of the reasons, because you don't want to suffer the glares of people if they catch you sneezing without a mask. But people also wear them to protect themselves, from flu on the trains and smog when on the streets. And the other reason is for a bit of privacy, which appeals to young women in particular.

bootlooped 7y ago

I would wear an N95 mask sometimes in Asia, to mitigate the pollution. I didn't throw it away after each use. I imagine their use by medical professionals to be a much different case though. I think a lot of Asian people wore the cheap cloth ones. I have learned recently that these sometimes have replaceable inserts inside them.

adrianN 7y ago
The masks filter pollution about as effectively after prolonged use as when they're new. The problem for medical use is contamination with germs.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  > The masks filter pollution about as effectively after prolonged use as when they're new. Filters generally get better at filtering as they get dirty. A pore with a mountain of dirt/dust over it gets even better at only permitting gasses through. But that also means less and less flow, until you're letting nothing through at all. I think the other problem for medical use is moisture buildup. A damp/wet/sweaty N95 doesn't let gasses through very well.
  - jhanschoo 7y ago
    Do you have a source for that? The recommendations I've seen suggest otherwise, and this matches my intuition. Wear creates and enlarges pores, and also, pores of the right size get clogged resulting in more flow over pores that are too large to filter.
    - Scoundreller 7y ago
      Depends on what's hitting the filter. All "wear" will enlarge pores by definition, otherwise it's not wear. And in your example, if pores are 0.1-0.3micron, and you have uniform 0.2micron particles hitting it, yes. But reality isn't usually so uniform. Shards of glass will create more problems for the filter media than shredded N95 mask dust :) A mask covered in saw dust will slow down and make a particle hit against the filter more turbulent = less chance of forcing its way through.

AdrianB1 7y ago

Are the regular masks (not N95) efficient at all for smog and smoke? I think they are just paper masks stopping only large particles.

Dahoon 7y ago

>Mask wear in Asia is common, for smog, smoke and controlling flu The normal is wearing them to protect others, not yourself.

stubish 7y ago
Where I was in Asia it was one of the reasons, because you don't want to suffer the glares of people if they catch you sneezing without a mask. But people also wear them to protect themselves, from flu on the trains and smog when on the streets. And the other reason is for a bit of privacy, which appeals to young women in particular.