I think I've read that N95 masks are in fact inferior to other kinds for "civilians" and I don't altogether believe this is propaganda to conserve them. It make

I think I've read that N95 masks are in fact inferior to other kinds for "civilians" and I don't altogether believe this is propaganda to conserve them. It makes sense, doesn't it, that N95 masks filter air coming in, not out? My impression is the valve in masks that have them is a sign that it's not protecting others from you - the point is to let air out easily. There is an asymmetry between healthcare workers and the public - in a hospital, you have one non-infected person surrounded by a lot of infected people, while elsewhere, it's the opposite. I see a lot of people wearing surgical masks, and having just googled and read a page on 3M's site, it mentions: "Surgical/procedure or “medical” facemasks are designed to help keep spit and mucous generated by the wearer from reaching a patient or medical equipment. Some surgical/procedure masks do contain filter media but as they may not be designed to form a seal to the face, and have not been certified to meet all of the performance standards of a respirator, they should not be used to help reduce exposures to airborne particles" I feel like this is a simple difference that people can't comprehend due to a very primitive equation of protecting oneself and protecting others. There is a difference and it should inform our behavior. Edit: to clarify, I meant to contrast the N95 masks with a valve, that seem to make more sense for health care workers, with the surgical masks that seem to make more sense for the public.