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What do Top Medical Institutions Say About Wearing a Mask? Should You Be Covered?

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Across this nation, there is so much in the atmosphere, so much fear, rage, and certainly opinions. We cannot solve all these things with a mask. What are those who’s occupation it is to bring us the information we need to keep ourselves healthy saying? Along with some of the top Medical institutions in the world, we want to put you at rest about wearing non-medical fabric face masks.

We get asked the question a lot? Do masks really do any good? We took a deep dive here. If you are on social media on any platform, surely there are a great deal of opinions…but what are researchers in the top Medical Institutions in this nation reporting about wearing or not wearing masks?

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal online recently published an article asking the question, “How Exactly Do you Catch Covid-19?“ Initially, we thought it may be through contact with others, but it seems, from this article, that close contact, for extended periods, particularly with loud talking or singing are the most precarious situations.

Respiratory droplets or, worse yet, aerosol droplets seem to be the major way in which COVID-19 is spread. Proper ventilation as well as distance are two great barriers to contracting the disease. In particular, elongated exposure exacerbates the risk.

CDC

The CDC recently came out with new guidelines as events and places begin to reopen. They highly recommend: 1. 6 foot distancing; 2. wear a mask 3. use hand sanitizer.

Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic has stated that face masks are an essential tool in protecting not only yourself, but others as well. The article asks the question, “So why weren’t face masks recommended at the start of the pandemic? At that time, experts didn’t yet know the extent to which people with COVID-19 could spread the virus before symptoms appeared. Nor was it known that some people have COVID-19 but don’t have any symptoms. Both groups can unknowingly spread the virus to others.” Mayo goes on to state that this caused a turn around by the CDC to recommend masks be worn by all in a public setting to prevent transmission of the disease.

NIH

The NIH published, “Use of Face Masks in COVID-19,” where they are comparing Medical frontline workers to the general public. They conclude, “At community level, use of non-medical masks like cloth masks are useful to curtail transmission risk. The price disparity between medical masks and N95 respirators question their cost effectiveness at population level. In this pandemic, medical mask supplies should be reserved for health care workers with encouraging people to use cloth masks while going in public.”

Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic also weighed in on masks. In their published article on the subject, “Here’s How Wearing a Cloth Mask Helps Fight the Spread of Coronavirus It’ all about protecting others.” They make the case that one of the greatest and selfless acts we can do for one another is wear a mask in order to care for others. There is much evidence that asymptomatic carriers are great at spreading the disease. Much of the reasoning by the Cleveland Clinic hinged on caring for the other in lieu of your own needs.

The article concluded with the various efficacies of the different classes of masks, and ultimately imposed us not to rely on masks alone, but to follow the CDC guidelines, to practice social distancing along with keeping our hands washed or use a hand sanitizer.

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we are learning as we travel this road together…is that we need one another; we rely on one another; and maybe we are our brothers keeper. Stay safe out there, and not if, but when you need a mask, you might as well get the best for you and your loved ones.

~We’ve Got You Covered.

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Are You Covered? You might be surprised what your face mask is doing, or isn’t doing?

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Are You Covered?

We have all been thrust into a world where wearing a protective face mask is a requirement of daily life. Even if we are not on the frontlines of healthcare workers, we are all on the front lines of a worldwide Pandemic. In our collective lifetimes, the earth has never come to an abrupt stop as it has with COVID-19. So how do we protect ourselves, and of course others; in particular those who may have a compromised immune system. It seems the earth has given us the opportunity to see we are part of a worldwide family, that can care for one another and protect one another.

There are many masks being produced today, but are they all the same? Does it matter whether you buy a $5 mask from a guy at the corner in LA? T-shirt shops in LA have converted to mask shops and are using their inventory of cotton jersey to produce tens of thousands of masks. Or maybe there is a nice pattern on Etsy that looks attractive with your vibe? If you tie it, two strings, one string? Then there are layers; one, two, three, four, five…what actually are the important elements of wearing a protective face mask? Are you covered?

We, here at KD Mercantile, have spent a great deal of time and concerted effort to produce a face mask that is above all things, doing what it is designed to do. Here’s a link to “Our Story” which can give you a bit into the background of the who and the why behind these masks. Right now I want to turn our attention to the masks and their efficacy in protecting us from virus’, I mean if we are going to wear a face mask, it might as well protect us?

I mean if we are going to wear a face mask, it might as well protect us?

Following the outbreak of the worldwide Pandemic, scientists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory began to study the efficacy of different fabrics and combinations of fabrics in stoping particles composed of aerosols of sodium chloride. As a control they compared it to the N95 mask.

“The effect of gaps between the contour of the face and the mask as caused by an improper fit will affect the efficiency of any face mask.”

In addition, they also found is that not only high thread count cotton worked well, but having a blown interfacing or silk or chiffon lining created a further barrier that due to a electrostatic charge arrests a virus in its place. They found this combination was able to stop particles very comparable to a N95 mask. The combination of cotton with higher thread count and electrostatic layer exceeded 80% efficiency in the <300 nm range, and >90% in the >300 nm range. The N95 respirators are designed and engineered to capture more than 95% of the particles that are above 300 nm. Wow! Very similar to our masks!

Summary from their research: 1. Fabric with tight weaves and low porosity, such as those found in cotton sheets with high thread count, are preferable. For instance, a 600 TPI cotton performed better than an 80 TPI cotton. Fabrics that are porous should be avoided. 2. Combining layers to form hybrid masks, leveraging mechanical and electrostatic filtering may be an effective approach. 3.  It is critically important that cloth mask designs also take into account the quality of this “fit” to minimize leakage of air between the mask and the contours of the face. Such leakage can significantly reduce mask effectiveness.

“T-shirt masks don’t seem to work as well. In a Virginia Tech study, a mask made from a single layer of a cotton T-shirt captured only 20% of particles down to 300 nanometers and 50% of those down to 1,000 nanometers. A Cambridge University study from 2013 found that two layers of T-shirt material can capture around 70% of particles down to 1,000 nanometers.” source

T-shirt masks don’t seem to work as well…

“A recent Nature study found that nearly all viral droplets and some smaller aerosol particles were blocked when infected patients wore a surgical mask. But the new study suggests that a homemade mask could also effectively protect the person wearing it from other germs. But there is one major caveat: The mask has to fit correctly—without any gaps. This is something that can be difficult to achieve for those who don’t know how to sew. The filtration efficiency of a mask can drop 60% if there are gaps in the fit, making your choice of material less meaningful. “If I were making masks, I would place a lot of emphasis on the design of the mask to minimize the gap,” Guha says.” source

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“If I were making masks, I would place a lot of emphasis on the design of the mask to minimize the gap,”

Here’s the Takeaway:

1. Mask must fit properly and be adjustable to be effective ✅ Our mask has multiple adjustment points AND a gusseted chin for the perfect fit!

2. Cotton Jersey is ineffective at stopping virus 🦠 sized particulate! Ours gets it done. ✅

3. A third middle layer that carries an electrostatic charge is key 🔑 arrests virus’ in their tracks ✅ Our non-woven polyester interfacing not only gives structure to the mask, but holds a static charge!

4. Masks with stitching down the middle actually break the barrier you are trying to protect 😬! Our mask boasts 3 full pieces sewn on the edges. ✅

5. Bandanas are not really super effective.  “They’ve already discovered that “things like bandanas – a common item people might use as a mask – are only effective at stopping the kinds of large droplets emitted when someone sneezes,” Smith says.” source

We are crazy passionate about this mask we have developed. We have put our combined energies into making not only something that is comfortable to wear, looks great, but we can say we got you covered! For sure you can find a cheaper mask, but not one with more ingenuity and thought and honestly a whole lotta love. Get your mask HERE.

Hope to see you out there!

~The KD Mercantile Team