3 ms·

I don’t see how they’re completely useless for protecting the wearer. If someone infected sneezes in my face, would I not be better off with a physical barrier

I don’t see how they’re completely useless for protecting the wearer. If someone infected sneezes in my face, would I not be better off with a physical barrier over a point of entry into my system?

atleta 7y ago
Not completely, but it's pretty unlikely it helps. First of all, no one will probably sneeze (or actually cough, because that's the frequent symptom) in your face directly. If it's not 'in your face', just pretty close, then a lot of the droplets will be too small for the simple surgical mask to filter out. Especially as it leaves a lot of gaps around your nose and mouth. Not to talk about your eyes, where you can get infected just as easily. (Yes, you could wear protective glasses too.) But... if almost everyone wears these in public places, which actually just became compulsory in Czech that should give pretty good protection to everyone (by filtering the emission of the asymptomatic infected). And if we think about this use case, then actually it makes no point telling people that it won't protect them because if they think it will they are more likely to wear it.
omegaworks 7y ago
Droplets on the mask and you breathe them in right through it.
- ddxxdd 7y ago
  Surgical masks contain a wax barrier that prevents the healthcare worker from spreading their own germs. If a surgical mask can stop germs from going out of the mouth, then I better hear a more rigorous reason why that same mask doesn't work in the opposite direction.
  - ardy42 7y ago
    > If a surgical mask can stop germs from going out of the mouth, then I better hear a more rigorous reason why that same mask doesn't work in the opposite direction. One word: leakage. Watch this: Healthcare - Mask vs. Respirator Video - 3M Worker Health and Safety https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR2uLfEVD2w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR2uLfEVD2w

atleta 7y ago

Not completely, but it's pretty unlikely it helps. First of all, no one will probably sneeze (or actually cough, because that's the frequent symptom) in your face directly. If it's not 'in your face', just pretty close, then a lot of the droplets will be too small for the simple surgical mask to filter out. Especially as it leaves a lot of gaps around your nose and mouth. Not to talk about your eyes, where you can get infected just as easily. (Yes, you could wear protective glasses too.) But... if almost everyone wears these in public places, which actually just became compulsory in Czech that should give pretty good protection to everyone (by filtering the emission of the asymptomatic infected). And if we think about this use case, then actually it makes no point telling people that it won't protect them because if they think it will they are more likely to wear it.

omegaworks 7y ago

Droplets on the mask and you breathe them in right through it.

ddxxdd 7y ago
Surgical masks contain a wax barrier that prevents the healthcare worker from spreading their own germs. If a surgical mask can stop germs from going out of the mouth, then I better hear a more rigorous reason why that same mask doesn't work in the opposite direction.
- ardy42 7y ago
  > If a surgical mask can stop germs from going out of the mouth, then I better hear a more rigorous reason why that same mask doesn't work in the opposite direction. One word: leakage. Watch this: Healthcare - Mask vs. Respirator Video - 3M Worker Health and Safety https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR2uLfEVD2w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR2uLfEVD2w