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There's been some images/videos going around on social networks showing people blowing smoke into a mask, with the smoke coming out around the edges of the mask

There's been some images/videos going around on social networks showing people blowing smoke into a mask, with the smoke coming out around the edges of the mask. Here's an example: https://imgur.com/a/5fb1A8M https://imgur.com/a/5fb1A8M This has been used to back the claim that masks aren't effective whenever debate around wearing masks comes up. Wearing a mask is going to cause less spread than not wearing anything, but I'd like to see some research into this specific point about "leaking" of air around the edges of the mask since it's being used to shut down arguments about mask wearing.

DenisM 6y ago
> shut down arguments about mask wearing How is “shutting down” different from disagreement here?
- jameslk 6y ago
  "Shut down" here simply means this point isn't really addressing whether masks reduce transmission and there's nobody who's countering this specific point with any research from what I've seen. It has little relevance to disagreement.
  - DenisM 6y ago
    So making an argument that “isn’t really addressing (your point)” is how you define “shut down”?
    - jameslk 6y ago
      Yes, that's arguing past the point with a different point, not addressing it. This is a strawman argument being used to distract and shut down. The argument about leaking air around a mask is interesting (hence why I'm looking for research), but wholly different from whether masks prevent transmission.
wilde 6y ago
The NIH did do some research along these lines. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4589201/#!po=1.13636 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4589201/#!po=1.... That said, most of the debate at this point is motivated reasoning by people who don't want to wear masks. :P
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- jameslk 6y ago
  This is close and also interesting in it's own right, but I don't think it addresses outward leakage, only inward leakage. I'm not sure why you're being downvoted but I guess that's HN for you.

DenisM 6y ago

> shut down arguments about mask wearing How is “shutting down” different from disagreement here?

jameslk 6y ago
"Shut down" here simply means this point isn't really addressing whether masks reduce transmission and there's nobody who's countering this specific point with any research from what I've seen. It has little relevance to disagreement.
- DenisM 6y ago
  So making an argument that “isn’t really addressing (your point)” is how you define “shut down”?
  - jameslk 6y ago
    Yes, that's arguing past the point with a different point, not addressing it. This is a strawman argument being used to distract and shut down. The argument about leaking air around a mask is interesting (hence why I'm looking for research), but wholly different from whether masks prevent transmission.

wilde 6y ago

The NIH did do some research along these lines. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4589201/#!po=1.13636 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4589201/#!po=1.... That said, most of the debate at this point is motivated reasoning by people who don't want to wear masks. :P

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
jameslk 6y ago
This is close and also interesting in it's own right, but I don't think it addresses outward leakage, only inward leakage. I'm not sure why you're being downvoted but I guess that's HN for you.