For Immediate Release
Community Masks for COVID-19: How Effective Are They?
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
New Rochelle, NY, October 15, 2020—Not all reusable community masks used for COVID-19 protection are equally effective. A comparison of community masks of major manufacturers, and how well they protect self and others, is reported in Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery.
“For optimal protection, one should select a rather airtight mask. When selecting a mask, the highest level of tolerable air resistance can be used as a selection criterion,” conclude Dominic Dellweg, Philipps Universität Marburg, and coauthors.
The researchers found that the filtration efficacy and breathability (air resistance) of masks differed significantly between the different community masks. However, the two measurements correlated well with each other.
“No mask is perfect and the direct link between reducing COVID spread and facemask protection is not yet known. While comfort is important for mask acceptance, this study indicates that a mask that is too comfortable might not provide reasonable protection,” says Editor-in-Chief Gerald C. Smaldone, MD, PhD, Professor and Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at SUNY-Stony Brook.
For the filtration efficiency, the quality of the fabric, rather than the number of layers of material seemed to be most important.
About the Journal
Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online. It is the Official Publication of the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine. The Journal is the only authoritative publication delivering innovative articles on the health effects of inhaled aerosols and delivery of drugs through the pulmonary system. Topics covered include airway reactivity and asthma treatment, inhalation of particles and gases in the respiratory tract, toxic effects of inhaled agents, and aerosols as tools for studying basic physiologic phenomena. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available online at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.