COVID-19: What masks-protects Material most effectively? – Naturopathy Naturopathy Specialist Portal
What Material is self-built COVID should be-19-masks?
The spread of the new Coronavirus, SARS-CoV stem 2, in many areas of public life currently, protective masks mandatory requirement, and some people make their own masks. There are combinations of substances which protect particularly effectively against a disease.
If people connect to yourself masks for protection against COVID-19, you should be careful to use special materials, to achieve effective protection. Researchers now report in the English-language scientific journal “ACS Nano” about the most effective material combinations for protection against COVID-19.
Shortage of N95 masks and surgical masks
Meanwhile, it is in all Federal States of Germany are obliged to wear in certain Public situations (such as when shopping), a mask protection. Since N95 masks and surgical masks are rare, and the health personnel should stay, many people have their own masks. There are combinations of materials that enable a particularly effective protection from COVID.
What materials should be used?
A combination of cotton with natural silk or Chiffon, which filters most of the aerosol particles on the effective, report the researchers. However, you must sit the fit is good. It is assumed that SARS-CoV-2 is spread primarily by respiratory droplets. This happens when an infected Person coughs, sneezes, speaks, or breathes.
The smallest droplets can pass through the fabric fibers
Emitted droplets are formed in different sizes, but the smallest, the so-called aerosols, can easily penetrate through the Openings between certain fabric fibers. Therefore, some people doubt whether the substance masks can actually help to prevent a disease.
How was measured the protective effect of substances?
The researchers studied the ability of common tissue (alone or in combination), aerosols, filter out, which are in their size, the respiratory droplets are very similar. For this they used a so-called Aerosol-mixing chamber to produce particles with a diameter of 10 nm to 6 µm. A fan blew samples of the Aerosol with a stream of air, which the breathing of a Person corresponded to the resting state, different fabric. The Team measured the number and size of the particles in the air before and after passing through the fabric.
Really self-made masks filter up to 99 percent of the aerosol particles
The researchers came to the conclusion that a position of a tightly woven cotton cloth in combination with two layers of Polyester-Spandex Chiffon (a see-through fabric that is often used for evening dresses) filters out most of the aerosol particles (80 to 99 percent, depending on particle size) out. This performance is close to the of N95-mask material, report the researchers. The replacement of the Chiffons by natural silk or flannel, or simply by a cotton blanket with cotton, polyester wadding led allerd to similar good results.
Substances can serve as an electrostatic barrier
The researchers point out that tightly woven fabrics, such as cotton, can act as a mechanical barrier against particles. If substances have a static charge, such as certain kinds of Chiffon and silk, they could also serve as electrostatic barrier. The importance of a correctly adjusted mask is made of the right fabric, so the conclusion of the research team was. (as)