N95 mask advice

[stackie]

N95 mask will block 95% of particles greater than .3 microns.

Covid-19 is .1 micron but usually moves in aerosolized particles from 0.5 microns to 3 microns.

In the hospital we actually do fit testing to ensure the n95 actually fits properly and does not allow unfiltered air to enter around the edges with inhalation. If it doesn’t fit properly, it’s not effective.

We don’t have enough n95 masks in hospital to use them as recommended. So, many of us re use them as best we can with no real guidance from above other than we don’t recommend reusing. I store mine in a paper bag and hope that is good enough. Fortunately, since I work in a high risk profession intubating patients which is one of the most aerosolizing procedures performed in a hospital, we have PAPR hoods available which pump HEPA filtered air into the hood forcing air out around. These are thankfully reusable. Not many hospitals have these.

We really don’t have good evidence of what is really necessary. However, a person under investigation in one of the Asian countries early in the pandemic was cared for by 41 health care professionals using only a regular surgical mask (not n95) with the exception of anesthesiologist who used n95 for intubation. All used good hand hygiene. None of the health care professionals tested positive.

IMHO, the standard surgical mask works well to prevent you from aerosolizing your airway secretions onto others and nearby objects. Wear one to protect others. Help yourself by washing hands frequently and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands. You’re going to get COVID from touching that package of chicken in Trader Joe’s that someone else contaminated before you got there. Maybe they coughed on it. Maybe they touched their mouth and touched it. The virus is there. Wash your freaking hands.

Please leave the n95 masks for your local health care professionals who have to spend hours in a room with a COVID positive patient who is coughing frequently and aerosolizing COVID into the room,

Bottom line, if you’ve got an used n95, fine re use it. If it’s new in package take it to the local hospital. They need it more than you. You can use a basic mask or even a bandana to minimize your aerosolizing of particles. Again, just wash your freaking hands.

And, yes, if you feel eyes burning holes in your head when your out with that n95, it’s probably the doctor or nurse who wishes they had an appropriate supply to use at work.

Sorry to take giant piss on your parade, but I’m just livid about the number of people I saw around town today with n95s when I know my colleagues at the hospital are doing without.

Jon

[Tony]

Originally Posted by Louis

In a related matter:

I have an LL Bean neck-warmer, which is made of a relatively thin synthetic material, probably polyester. It looks a lot like the image below. Last night, just for kicks I put it on around my neck then raised it up to cover my nose and mouth, to see what it would be like to have something like that on. (I don't have any bandannas or other similar stuff to test.)

I didn't try anything through my mouth, only my nose. Within a few breaths it felt like the lower part of my face was in an oven, and I began to wonder how I could possibly get enough fresh air / oxygen in. I don't see how anyone could exercise or do anything more than low-level exertion with something as basic as a bandanna on, unless you made it of one or two layers of cheesecloth, which would render it useless as a filter.

I think I have some super-basic masks around in the garage, which I got to keep sawdust out, but I don't know how effective those would be either.

Bottom line, I don't see how anyone could wear a fabric home-made mask while exercising or even just walking at a good clip.

I wonder if your claustrophobic? As I don't have this issue while going hard with a buff pulled over my mouth and nose.

[bthornt]

Originally Posted by stackie

N95 mask will block 95% of particles greater than .3 microns.

Covid-19 is .1 micron but usually moves in aerosolized particles from 0.5 microns to 3 microns.

In the hospital we actually do fit testing to ensure the n95 actually fits properly and does not allow unfiltered air to enter around the edges with inhalation. If it doesn’t fit properly, it’s not effective.

We don’t have enough n95 masks in hospital to use them as recommended. So, many of us re use them as best we can with no real guidance from above other than we don’t recommend reusing. I store mine in a paper bag and hope that is good enough. Fortunately, since I work in a high risk profession intubating patients which is one of the most aerosolizing procedures performed in a hospital, we have PAPR hoods available which pump HEPA filtered air into the hood forcing air out around. These are thankfully reusable. Not many hospitals have these.

We really don’t have good evidence of what is really necessary. However, a person under investigation in one of the Asian countries early in the pandemic was cared for by 41 health care professionals using only a regular surgical mask (not n95) with the exception of anesthesiologist who used n95 for intubation. All used good hand hygiene. None of the health care professionals tested positive.

IMHO, the standard surgical mask works well to prevent you from aerosolizing your airway secretions onto others and nearby objects. Wear one to protect others. Help yourself by washing hands frequently and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands. You’re going to get COVID from touching that package of chicken in Trader Joe’s that someone else contaminated before you got there. Maybe they coughed on it. Maybe they touched their mouth and touched it. The virus is there. Wash your freaking hands.

Please leave the n95 masks for your local health care professionals who have to spend hours in a room with a COVID positive patient who is coughing frequently and aerosolizing COVID into the room,

Bottom line, if you’ve got an used n95, fine re use it. If it’s new in package take it to the local hospital. They need it more than you. You can use a basic mask or even a bandana to minimize your aerosolizing of particles. Again, just wash your freaking hands.

And, yes, if you feel eyes burning holes in your head when your out with that n95, it’s probably the doctor or nurse who wishes they had an appropriate supply to use at work.

Sorry to take giant piss on your parade, but I’m just livid about the number of people I saw around town today with n95s when I know my colleagues at the hospital are doing without.

Jon

I absolutely understand how you feel. Someone did give it to me, I didn't buy it, and the person gave it to me in a zip-lock bag, I think it came from a multiple unit package. Not sure if a hospital would still consider it sterile.

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by stackie

Sorry to take giant piss on your parade, but I’m just livid about the number of people I saw around town today with n95s when I know my colleagues at the hospital are doing without.

Stop Yelling Out the Window. Just Give Doctors the Masks You’re Hoarding

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by bthornt

First, I suppose I could have posted this in the current Covid 19 thread, but since I have questions specific to the N95 mask, I thought I would start a new thread.

Since I'm not a medical professional, I have no experience with these masks. Today, in an act of incredible kindness, a friend gave me one of these masks. It was purchased at home depot, and it says NIOSH N95.

Question 1: Are all N95 masks the same? In other words, is the type of N95 mask used in medical applications the same as this mask, NIOSH N95?

Question 2: Probably the most important question, I want to maximize the life of the mask subject to the constraint that I want to keep it effective in protecting me. Which means, I want to clean it and disinfect it. I have a UV light device that I use to disinfect my CPAP equipment, but I've heard mixed things about this approach, in particular I have seen reports (I think here, but other places as well) that this can cause the mask to deteriorate. But, I saw that Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville disinfects masks with this procedure.

I also saw on youtube that you can steam the mask and spray it with alcohol. I have a steamer that I use to steam vegetables, so I guess I could steam the mask, and it seems that this would be effective but it also seems like it could be damaging.

Any other thoughts, comments, suggestions pertaining to using, cleaning, and disinfecting the mask would be greatly appreciated. Or any other information that you might think I should know.

Got to make this thing last. I only plan on using it at the grocery store, but who knows how long this is going to last.

Thanks in advance.

I think you should find someone in a medical role who needs one and give it to them.
Here are the reasons why:
1. You don't even know if that mask fits you. If it doesn't, it's not of any value to you.
2. You haven't worn an N95 before, so you don't know how incredibly uncomfortable they get, and how they increase your work of breathing.
That's going to lead to you reaching up and adjusting it and tugging at it multiple times during your grocery trip. Or even worse taking it on and off multiple times in an improper way.
All that touching of your face and your mask is going to increase your odds of getting the virus.
3. There's a doctor, a nurse, a paramedic or firefighter who lives in your neighborhood that really needs it more than you do.

Perhaps you could ask the friend who gave you the mask if they could pick up some groceries for you?

Be well.

[Veloo]

There are a number of businesses and civilians making cloth masks and some with a pocket for some sort of filter insert. This is just one example up here north of the border (no affiliation). There must be ones in the US as well.
https://www.takecaresupply.com/collections/masks

There are also many DIY videos on youtube as well from paper towels, to furnace filters, to vacuum hepa filter bags, to sewing cloth masks. There are some that require no sewing and just use elastic bands.

I did call 3M to ask about the use of a high end Filtrete furnace filter as a mask but their response was as expected - we never tested for this so we cannot comment despite the rise in this type of inquiry.
I guess one could argue that if you're using them in your furnace at home then you run a very similar rise by using it as some form of mask.

In my opinion, N95 is overkill for grocery shopping in these covid times.

[soulspinner]

Hell of a lot of good info here......

[Irishgirl]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

Hell of a lot of good info here......

+ 1


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[Irishgirl]

Picked one of these from Rapha a few years ago and use on and off the bike.



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[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by bthornt

I plan on using the mask rarely, maybe once a week for about an hour - specifically, a weekly trip to the grocery store.

If I just hung it up for a week, without doing anything, would the virus just expire without me doing anything?

I posted a link to an article in another thread. The inventor of the technology behind the mask suggested that simply hanging the mask in a warm dry environment for a couple of days is fine. Washing the mask or using UV light, or sunlight, will compromise the electrostatic process that causes the mask to work.

Skip the bleach, the oven heating, etc. Hang it up between your weekly grocery visits.

Oh, and by the way, putting it on/taking it off carefully is critical. Once it's on, leave it on. Undo the ear cords and lift the mask directly away from your face, slowly. Don't slide it down on your chin, like some people do... Wash your hands before and immediately after using.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by stackie

N95 mask will block 95% of particles greater than .3 microns.

Covid-19 is .1 micron but usually moves in aerosolized particles from 0.5 microns to 3 microns.

In the hospital we actually do fit testing to ensure the n95 actually fits properly and does not allow unfiltered air to enter around the edges with inhalation. If it doesn’t fit properly, it’s not effective.

We don’t have enough n95 masks in hospital to use them as recommended. So, many of us re use them as best we can with no real guidance from above other than we don’t recommend reusing. I store mine in a paper bag and hope that is good enough. Fortunately, since I work in a high risk profession intubating patients which is one of the most aerosolizing procedures performed in a hospital, we have PAPR hoods available which pump HEPA filtered air into the hood forcing air out around. These are thankfully reusable. Not many hospitals have these.

We really don’t have good evidence of what is really necessary. However, a person under investigation in one of the Asian countries early in the pandemic was cared for by 41 health care professionals using only a regular surgical mask (not n95) with the exception of anesthesiologist who used n95 for intubation. All used good hand hygiene. None of the health care professionals tested positive.

IMHO, the standard surgical mask works well to prevent you from aerosolizing your airway secretions onto others and nearby objects. Wear one to protect others. Help yourself by washing hands frequently and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands. You’re going to get COVID from touching that package of chicken in Trader Joe’s that someone else contaminated before you got there. Maybe they coughed on it. Maybe they touched their mouth and touched it. The virus is there. Wash your freaking hands.

Please leave the n95 masks for your local health care professionals who have to spend hours in a room with a COVID positive patient who is coughing frequently and aerosolizing COVID into the room,

Bottom line, if you’ve got an used n95, fine re use it. If it’s new in package take it to the local hospital. They need it more than you. You can use a basic mask or even a bandana to minimize your aerosolizing of particles. Again, just wash your freaking hands.

And, yes, if you feel eyes burning holes in your head when your out with that n95, it’s probably the doctor or nurse who wishes they had an appropriate supply to use at work.

Sorry to take giant piss on your parade, but I’m just livid about the number of people I saw around town today with n95s when I know my colleagues at the hospital are doing without.

Jon

I agree....
...And THANK-YOU!

[RobJ]

Originally Posted by stackie

Sorry to take giant piss on your parade, but I’m just livid about the number of people I saw around town today with n95s when I know my colleagues at the hospital are doing without.

Jon

Your feelings are warranted and there’s no reason to be apologizing to this crowd. Thanks for the good information as well.


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[mtechnica]

Some hospitals are telling nurses that they will be fired if they wear masks!

[Veloo]

I thought that was a typo.
'fraid not.
https://theintercept.com/2020/03/24/...s-coronavirus/

Originally Posted by mtechnica

Some hospitals are telling nurses that they will be fired if they wear masks!

[mtechnica]

Originally Posted by Veloo

I thought that was a typo.
'fraid not.
https://theintercept.com/2020/03/24/...s-coronavirus/

I have a family member that’s a nurse, she has inside knowledge of several hospitals in WA state that has this policy right now.