interesting study on masks

[redbird]

I'm not sure how generally applicable this is, but I found it interesting:

A study on the effectiveness of different kinds of medical masks against covid transmission. The researchers found that the ACI 3120 N95s (the duckbill masks I like) are 98-99% effective at blocking exhaled virus particles. However, surgical masks and a specific kind of KN95 masks were both less effective than N95 masks; surprisingly, Powecom KN95s were less effective than surgical masks.

The researchers didn't train anyone on how to use the masks, which is a more realistic test of real-world effectiveness, because most people aren't doing fit tests, and many aren't reading the instructions that come with the masks.

The study was testing how effective the masks would be in preventing a person who had covid from spreading the virus to people around them, not how well the mask wearer is protected from viruses in the air. not how well they protect the wearer from viruses in the environment.

The article notes several limitations, including a small sample size; that all the study subjects were young adults; and that it may not generalize to different models of N95s or KN95s. Also, the study was testing how effectively the masks would block transmission if the wearer had covid, not how effectively wearing a mask protects the wearer.

(Armbrust is currently offering 40% off, with the code WASTEWATER40)

[Edited the first paragraph to clarify that they only studied one kind of KN95s.]