thanks Buppies. That was a kindness.
I read the helpful explanation of masks above and was left with the core part about submicron particles which clearly could get through a N95 mask.
But even though they are smaller, they look kind of sticky in the pictures...wouldn't at least some or most get caught on the mesh going through?
so you can't bet the farm on masks but seems to be much better than nothing. I came away with the impression if you weren't wearing something at least as good
as a paint respirator, with the vapor cartridges, you weren't fully protected. I have something even better than that but who wants to wear it in public?
if we all wore them, much safer. That's why every pic of China shows everyone wearing them.
Folks with beards have a real problem here. No seal, no protection.
Unfortunately, no. You have to look at things from a perspective of scale. The mask filters particles down to 0.3 microns. Evaporated particles can easily be down to 0.03 micrometers (30 nanometers) or smaller. In this case, if you have a mesh trying to stop a particle, the spacing between the "grid lines" on the mesh is 10 times as large as the droplet passing through. So yes, a random droplet from here and there may impact one of the mesh lines and stop a droplet, but the vast majority go straight through.
Think of throwing a handful of marbles at a net on a soccer goal. Pretty much every one is going to pass through.
In addition, can you ensure that you have a perfect, airtight seal all the way around the edge of the mask? The practical answer for all but essentially custom-fit masks, is no. Those gaps are going to be much much larger than the droplets, which will again enable them to enter in as you breathe. So again, the protection is almost non-existent.
Again, the one benefit is when exhaling particles. As they leave your mouth they are large, and the velocity at the exit of your mouth is aimed right at the mask, so they are much more likely to hit the mask. This will stop the vast bulk of the droplets before they evaporate and become very tiny particles.
In an ideal world, I think everyone wearing a mask should drastically drop the spread, as previously mentioned. However, with the short supply, we have to unfortunately be practical and utilize them in the areas where the risk is highest.
