Do N95 Masks Really Expire?
Can you wear expired face masks? How effective are expired face masks? A study tested 10 year-old 3M N95 masks compared to new masks and this is what they found.
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Is Wearing Two Masks Better Than One?
The director of the NIH Dr. Anthony Fauci has said it seems like common sense that wearing two masks is better than one. So we decided to test whether two layers of the same material is better than one layer. Note that there may be other benefits of wearing double … Read more
Masks for Coronavirus May Be Lowering Blood Pressure for Millions
The coronavirus has made millions around the world regularly wear masks to reduce the spread of the virus. It is clear, masks help mitigate virus spread. But widespread mask wearing may be having another unintended benefit: lowering blood pressure for millions. With mask wearing to prevent coronavirus spread, people are … Read more
Do N95 Masks Deprive Us of Oxygen?
Wearing masks for hours on end has led some people to worry about whether N95 masks deprive us of oxygen. Scientists have actually made people wear N95 masks and measured their blood oxygen. So we have a solid answer to this question, and it’s not what this question assumes. This … Read more
What’s the Difference Between N95 and P2 Masks?
The difference between N95 and P2 masks is so small that most users will not notice anything amiss. The P2 rating is the standard in Australia and New Zealand similar to the US N95 mask rating. Difference Between N95 and P2 Masks: Charted Out N95 and P2 masks look … Read more
Are Reusable Polypropylene Bags Effective as DIY Face Masks for COVID-19?
In the rush to make homemade masks, many people are wondering whether reusable bags such as non-woven polypropylene plastic bags are effective at filtering viruses. These reusable bags are incredibly popular in places like Asia and Africa, where they are a common alternative to flimsy plastic shopping bags. Why … Read more
Air Purifiers in Dental Office for COVID-19 Protection
Using air purifiers in dental offices can help reduce COVID-19 spread and help protect dental patients. This is important as dental offices may be high-risk places for COVID-19 spread and infection. During a dental operation or surgery, patients must remove their mask, and airborne particles and aerosols in the clinic … Read more
Half of Chinese N95 Masks Fail Quality Checks
Tests of masks marketed as N95 from 21 manufacturers show that half of Chinese N95 masks fail quality tests–with some masks filtering no better than a cotton cloth. These tests come at a time that many countries around the world are scrambling for masks and other PPE. Factories Spring … Read more
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. … Read more
Can HEPA Filters Be Used to Make DIY Face Masks?
News media like The New York Times and Today have been talking about using HEPA filters as a material to make DIY face masks. There are even YouTube videos showing how to DIY a mask out of a HEPA filter. But just how well can HEPA filters capture … Read more
