Amidst the rising number of Covid 19 cases, the scientists have reported that wearing two facemasks may minimize the spread of the pandemic virus.
Double Facemasks Is Beneficial To Prevent Gaps
As per the latest reports, double facemasks may nearly double the effectiveness of wearing the facemasks. The aim is to filter out the SARS-CoV-2 sized particles and further prevent them from reaching the person’s nose and mouth.
ALSO READ: WHO Chiefs Warns More Variants Might Evade Covid 19 Vaccines; Reports
However, the reason for wearing two facemasks is not only to add layers of cloth. But rather to avoid any gaps that the poor fitting areas of the mask may leave.
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and the lead author of the study said that the medical procedure masks are designed to have a good filtration because of the material. However, they may not necessarily fit the face of the wearer.
To test the fitted filtration efficiency (FFE), the researchers worked with James Samet and the colleagues in the US EPA Human Studies Facility on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.
They filled a 10-foot by 10 foot stainless steel exposure chamber with small salt particles aerosols. They then completed a combination of masks to test the efficacy of the masks at keeping the particles out of the breathing space.
After the test, they measures the particle concentration within the breathing space underneath the mask and compared it to the one in chamber.
Philip Clapp, an Inhalation Toxicologist in the UNC School of Medicine said that they had researchers in the chamber go through multiple motion activities that typically a person does throughout the day. These activities ranged from bending at the waist, talking and looking in different directions.
ALSO READ: India Records Over 2 Lakh Covid 19 Cases In 24 Hours For The Third…
The researchers found out that the Fitted Filtration Efficiency (FFE) of a mask differs from person to person because of the unique face structure.
FFE Improves With Double Masking
In general, the procedure mask that is altered to fit is about 40 to 60 percent effective in keeping the Covid 19 particles out of the breathing space. And a cloth mask may be effective around 40 percent.
However, when a clothed mask is layered over by the procedure masks, the FFE is improved by 16 percent.
