Advice on mask-wearing to protect against Covid-19

Arnie Pye said:
Thanks for linking that video, @Sasha

I had assumed that N95 masks were just better "sieves" compared to the normal cheap masks that were available in shops in the UK during the pandemic, and as a result I never considered seeking them out. Also I never saw anything that explained why N95 masks were better then the ones I bought myself, nor did I know that some people were reusing them.

Also, I don't think I ever saw N95 masks for sale in the UK. I wouldn't even know where I should have looked for them, other than online.
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The lack of info on masks has been ridiculous, and probably deadly. A video like this should have been part of the Government's public information on Covid. Instead, misinformation has spread widely. I did a lot of digging into masks online back in the day and all I found were dodgy rabbit holes. I learned about how electrostatic charge and Brownian motion are important but not the other stuff - it's genuinely fascinating how the masks work.

I buy mine from Medisave online. I haven't been into shops since Covid so have never seen masks on sale.
 
Mij said:
Does anyone know why there is an expiration date for N95 masks? I buy mine from a verified Canadian source and they expire in 2 years from time of purchase.
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That's a really good question! The video implied that the electrostatic effect was long-lasting and I don't know what other factor would be relevant.
 
Arnie Pye said:
Thanks for linking that video, @Sasha

I had assumed that N95 masks were just better "sieves" compared to the normal cheap masks that were available in shops in the UK during the pandemic, and as a result I never considered seeking them out. Also I never saw anything that explained why N95 masks were better then the ones I bought myself, nor did I know that some people were reusing them.

Also, I don't think I ever saw N95 masks for sale in the UK. I wouldn't even know where I should have looked for them, other than online.
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You can buy them from loads of places online. Covaflu sell them direct they are great but not good if you have a small or narrow face -mine is like a pumpkin. lol my carer who has a tiny face uses 3M Aura ones. They are way more comfy than surgical masks imho as they keep the mask away from nose mouth so don’t feel like suffocating.

Thanks so much for posting this vid @Sasha. It’s great I saw a similar one early on pandemic but I lost the link & no one believed me when I tried to explain it.. so have been trying to find it ever since!
 
Fwiw I reuse mine. They say they last for 12 hrs so I wear it for that long whether that’s in 12x 1hr long stints or whatever. After wearing I put them in a cardboard box with a lid inside a cupboard so they can dry out from my breath (ie not plastic bag). & don’t wear them again for at least a week.
I have several on the go in rotation. Been using since 2020.
 
I wear the Breath Teq KN95 and they recommend to dispose after 8 hours of accumulated use- I wear mine for an eight 1-hour trip to the grocery store. I use a different one for appointments so I can keep track on how many hrs I wear it.

Recently I bought 10 grey and 10 black so I don't get confused with which one I'm wearing to which place.
 
One thing to be aware of is how many cheap knock offs there are. So buying from a reputable supplier - rather than eBay Amazon etc is important.

Watch for a genuine CE mark. I did post here on S4 about how to tell a fake but not sure I could find it now

During the early days I used to get mine from suppliers of work PPE - ie not medical like Medisave as they were always sold out!

Like this form has been reliable.https://www.safetecdirect.co.uk/workplace-equipment/virus-ppe-safety I bought some from them before covid because I was having mild removed in my house & the contactor recommended
 
Mij said:
I wear the Breath Teq KN95 and they recommend to dispose after 8 hours of accumulated use- I wear mine for an eight 1-hour trip to the grocery store. I use a different one for appointments so I can keep track on how many hrs I wear it.
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Do you know why accumulated use makes the masks no longer any good? I've been curious about this for a while!
 
Sasha said:
Do you know why accumulated use makes the masks no longer any good? I've been curious about this for a while!
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This is the rec for the ones I wear from their website:

Respirators and face masks including N95 and KN95 should not be worn beyond 8 hours of accumulated use. The primary reason is to avoid fatiguing the nose strip, earloops, and headband which could lead to poor fit and air leakage. The secondary reason is to minimize growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew in the mask due to moist breath.
 

Can disposable masks be worn more than once? - PMC

Disposable facemasks are a primary tool to prevent the transmission of SARS-COV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, plastic waste generated from their disposal represents a significant environmental problem that can be reduced by maximizing the ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Results reveal that most disposable facemasks can retain a high level of their baseline FFE after extended wearing, even after 40 h of wearing. Laundering disposable masks degraded FFE in some instances. We conclude that the durability of disposable facemask performance is considerably longer than their intended single use indication, suggesting that reusing disposable masks is a safe means of reducing plastic waste in the environment.
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From other papers, it looks like the main issues is to ensure that the masks are actually sterilised properly between use, and to prevent mould etc. from growing on them due to humidity.

Maybe an UV sterilising box might be worth it (assuming it’s a proper one that works)?
 
I think it would depend on the UV unit you're using to disinfect? This unit Lumin LM3000 is approved by the FDA but it's expensive.

From the website:

According to the FDA, the Lumin LM3000 uses an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation cycle to decontaminate one compatible N95 respirator at a time by exposing the outer and inner surfaces of the respirator for 5 minutes each. It reduces the amount of potential virus, providing “additional safety when used to supplement the CDC reuse recommendations of a five-day wait time.”

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s reuse recommendations for N95 respirators call for the equipment to be placed in a breathable paper bag and held for a minimum of five days before disinfection.

“Lumin is the only N95 decontamination system formally recognized by FDA for killing SARS-CoV-2 that can be purchased for under $300, and with a small enough footprint to be used safely in small offices and clinics, as well as in nursing homes
 
Mij said:
I think it would depend on the UV unit you're using to disinfect? This unit Lumin LM3000 is approved by the FDA but it's expensive.

From the website:

According to the FDA, the Lumin LM3000 uses an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation cycle to decontaminate one compatible N95 respirator at a time by exposing the outer and inner surfaces of the respirator for 5 minutes each. It reduces the amount of potential virus, providing “additional safety when used to supplement the CDC reuse recommendations of a five-day wait time.”

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s reuse recommendations for N95 respirators call for the equipment to be placed in a breathable paper bag and held for a minimum of five days before disinfection.

“Lumin is the only N95 decontamination system formally recognized by FDA for killing SARS-CoV-2 that can be purchased for under $300, and with a small enough footprint to be used safely in small offices and clinics, as well as in nursing homes
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If you wear masks regularly, you’d probably save the $300 eventually
 
Arnie Pye said:
What is the significance of the colour? Are different coloured masks different from each other in some way?
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No, the mask are the same quality. I bought two different colours so that I can differentiate which ones I wear grocery shopping and the other colour for shorter outings. I'm trying to keep track of the timing b/c we can only wear them for a total of 8hrs.
 
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