3 ms·
This is such a dumb article. It focuses on just the one piece of PPE that has gotten an undeserved amount of attention in the coronavirus crisis, when it's not
by yuanchanga 7y ago
This is such a dumb article.
It focuses on just the one piece of PPE that has gotten an undeserved amount of attention in the coronavirus crisis, when it's not the only tool in the arsenal of healthcare workers (compared with normal surgical masks, face shields, papr devices, etc).
And it is not necessarily the best tool for the general populace. (hypothetically (ballpark numbers from some stuff i remember reading) If a normal surgical mask can be replaced twice as often and is easier to breath through while only sacrificing 30% of protection, etc, what is recommended for the general public? Even the N95 only protects against... 95% of particulates of the specified size, why not wear a P100 filter on a gas mask?).
From a macro and epidemiological standpoint, what is the optimal guidance on the level of PPE for the general public to wear for the greatest net effect? Is what I consider the most interesting and relevant question.
There is also an unchecked assumption in this article that the N95 is "most important design object of our time".
It also fails to explain that N95 is a standard of protection rather than a certain object, it fails to explain the meaning of the standard.
(Which is)
N = Not oil resistant
95 = Removes 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter
It merges the development paths of protective masks against particulates, which is the true purpose of N95 masks, and protective equipment for healthcare. To me, I think N95 happened to be a standard similar enough to the requirements of healthcare, so they simply adopted it. Rather than the false narrative the article paints of the N95 mask being developed FOR medicine.
I would have been interested to read about the additional requirements a FDA defined "surgical N95" must meet (additional fluid resistance), or how the N95 plays into the entire suite of relevant protective equipment in this crisis (When doctors use a normal surgical mask, N95, PAPR, face shield, or goggles).
edit: clickbait article that doesn't give any information beyond what 5 minutes googling would use.
edit2: would have been interesting to read about how people are making face masks and other protective equipment or experiments in sanitizing and reusing one time use face masks.