People have jumped on practical solutions like washing hands and wearing masks in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19. But one question we’ve not seen answered is: where are these protective methods most important? Or put another way, where’s the riskiest place to catch COVID-19, and where should we be taking the most […]
Category: Coronavirus
The latest info and practical tips on protecting yourself from the Covid19 coronavirus. Information and open-data covering: N95 masks, surgical masks, DIY and homemade masks, air purifiers and disinfecting and washing masks.
Recent Coronavirus Articles:
Are Polypropylene Bags Effective as DIY Face Masks for COVID-19?
In the rush to make homemade masks, many people are wondering whether non-woven polypropylene bags are effective at filtering viruses. These bags are incredibly popular in places like Asia and Africa, where they are a common alternative to flimsy plastic shopping bags. Why Non-Woven Polypropylene Bags Make Great Homemade Masks These shopping bags […]
How Dental Clinics Can Protect Against COVID-19
Dental clinics may be high-risk places for COVID-19 infection. In places like hospitals and on public transport, people can wear face masks to protect themselves and reduce the chance of virus transmission. However during a dental operation or surgery, patients must remove their mask. This presents a bigger risk of contamination and infection. The […]
Half of Chinese N95 Masks Tested Fail to Meet Standards
Amid the scramble for protective equipment, factories in China have popped up to seemingly overnight to meet the demand. Yet tests of masks from 21 manufacturers shows half of respirators being marketed as N95 fail to meet that standard – with some no better than a cotton cloth. Factories Spring Up to Meet Mask […]
How to Find Reliable N95 Mask Suppliers
After testing 31 masks from 19 suppliers in China, we discovered that almost half of the masks were not meeting the N95 standards for filtering particles. What’s more, out of the 17 masks that did meet the N95 standard, most of these broke when we tried some simple structural tests. Many people are currently looking […]
Does Wearing Surgical Masks with The Wrong Side Out Affect Their Ability to Capture Viruses?
Amid the rush for masks with the coronavirus, we’ve found that some people are wearing masks the wrong way round! But does wearing surgical masks the wrong way round affect their ability to capture viruses? Some online sources claim it doesn’t matter, like this one. Surgical masks are made up of 3 layers, and […]
Which Way Round Does a Surgical Mask Go?
Surgical masks are designed to be worn in one direction only. But it can be difficult to know exactly which way round the mask should go. Some surgical masks have a colored side, which faces outwards, but others don’t. In this post, we’ll cover why surgical masks should be worn properly, what each layer in […]
Sanitizing Masks With Alcohol Degrades Performance
With mask shortages during the coronavirus outbreak, some doctors are sanitizing masks with alcohol so they can re-use them. But this raises questions about whether alcohol actually works and whether it degrades the masks. Does Alcohol Kill Viruses? The research on alcohol is clear. Alcohol kills viruses. Technically, viruses aren’t alive, so scientists focus on […]
The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Face Masks for Coronavirus
One month ago, we published one of the first rundowns of data on the best materials for making homemade masks. Fast forward and the CDC is now recommending face masks for everybody, spurring a worldwide movement to make homemade masks. The first summary (viewed over 4 million times!) was a great start on face mask […]
The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Face Masks – Supplemental Data
This article accompanies our Ultimate Guide to Homemade Face Masks for Coronavirus article, and covers our testing method and provides the original data. WATCH: Smart Air’s Paddy Explain How We Ran These Tests The Cambridge researchers used a fancy piece of kit called a Henderson apparatus to run their tests. This allows for the controlled […]
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