How Face Masks Work - The Science Behind Them
Channel: Risk Bites
Date: 2021-01-26

What's the science behind how face masks and respirators work, and how do they prevent you from inhaling potentially harmful airborne particles or viruses like covid-19?  

As respiratory protection against airborne coronavirus becomes increasingly important, Risk Bites dives into the aerosol science behind how face masks and respirators work, and explores what makes for good protection against exposure to airborne particles and droplets, whether it’s a professional product, or a DIY face mask.

UPDATED to include electrostatic collection. Original video: https://youtu.be/CpbJFk311Lw

USEFUL LINKS

CDC: Face masks and respirators: Understanding the difference
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandingDifference3-508.pdf

FDA: N95 Respirators and Surgical Masks (Face Masks)
CDC: Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Protective Equipment
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use-faq.html

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-and-surgical-masks-face-masks

The Coronavirus Tech Handbook – Personal Protective Equipment
https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/ppe

CDC: Simple Respiratory Mask
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/6/05-1468_article

Paper: Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic?
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/article/testing-the-efficacy-of-homemade-masks-would-they-protect-in-an-influenza-pandemic/0921A05A69A9419C862FA2F35F819D55/core-reader

The untold origin story of the N95 mask (FastCompany)
https://www.fastcompany.com/90479846/the-untold-origin-story-of-the-n95-mask


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to Anna Muldoon MPH for suggesting the topic!


RISK BITES

Risk Bites videos are devised, created and produced by Andrew Maynard, in association with the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society (http://sfis.asu.edu). They are produced under a Creative Commons License CC-BY-SA

Backing track: 
Nature is Calling, by Immersive Music. https://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty-free-tracks/nature-is-calling

#aerosol #respirator #facemask

ANDREW MAYNARD
Professor Andrew Maynard is a scientist, author, and leading expert on risk and the ethical and socially responsible development and use of new technologies. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, serves as co-chair of the Institute for the Advancement of Nutrition and Food Science (IAFNS) Board of Trustees, is a member of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research President’s Research Council, has served on a number of National Academies of Sciences committees, and has testified before congressional committees on several occasions.

As well as producing Risk Bites, Andrew’s work has appeared in publications ranging from The Washington Post and Scientific American, to Slate, Salon, and OneZero. He co-hosts the podcasts Mission: Interplanetary and Future Rising, and is the author of the books Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies, and Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow.    

Andrew received his PhD in aerosol dynamics from the University of Cambridge in 1993, and is currently a professor in the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society, and an Associate Dean in the ASU College of Global Futures.

More at http://andrewmaynard.net