Thread by @DurianLiftOff

A rash of mask tweets 🧵.

On elastomeric masks, N95s, KN95s, FFP2s, KF94s, care and fit, sourcing, testing, real-world examples & tips, warnings, children's masks, cute alternatives - and why you might want to upgrade now.

#facemask #facemasks #Masks #COVIDisAirborne

Why you might want to strengthen your first and most important line of defense.

Bear in mind the type of people you are sharing your supermarket air with.

#facemask #facemasks #Mask #Masks #MaskUp #COVIDisAirborne

One of the best primers on new mask technology in one short interview.

cbsnews.com/video/some-exp…

Teases out technical classifications of 'hi-fi' (high-filtration) masks such as N95s, KN95s or KF94s - and why cloth & surgical masks are not an option now.

Think '2022', not '1918'.

'With Omicron, you need a mask that means business'.

npr.org/sections/healt…

A good, complete article (23rd Dec 2021) on why hi-fi masks are fundamental in the face of increasingly infectious variants.

#Mask #Masks #MaskUp #facemask #facemasks #COVIDisAirborne

Wearing a safe mask brings everyday stress levels right down to manageable proportions again - important when we've been living in an incessant state of apprehension for so long.

Anything that enables us to carry on normal activities without fear is a massive mental bonus.

The technology to keep humans free from airborne disease isn't new.

The Texas Center for Infectious Disease - a TB hospital - issued its staff with re-usable elastomeric respirators in 1996. Since then, not one of their healthcare workers has ever been infected at work.

#Masks

On elastomeric masks.

✅ Safest (w/ P100 filter) vs. N95s.
✅ Reusable/cleanable.
✅ Replaceable filters.
✅ Buy once: no issues w/ production/distribution.
✅ 98% fit-rate vs. 57% for N95s.
✅ Environmentally friendly vs. 'landfill' masks.
✅ Far cheaper/year than disposables.

A solid half-face respirator with healthy real-world feedback is the GVS SPR644 Elipse P100.

gvs.com/en/catalog/eli…

✅ NIOSH Approved.
✅ Unvalved. Inhale/exhale via P100 HESPA filters: protects the wearer & those around you.
✅ Filtration: 99.97% of <0.3 micron particles.

The GVS Elipse P100 comes in two sizes:

🌱 S/M: GVS SPR643
🌿 M/L: GVS SPR644

🎬 Elipse P100 official video:


🎬 Review:


🎬 Care & maintenance:


See below for sizing chart.

A last word on the elastomeric GVS Elipse P100.

GVS has thought this product through.

🦋 Belt-clip carry-case.
🦋 Non-slip headband piece.
🦋 Spare 'skeleton' strap unit.
🦋 At-home fit-test kit.

I'm not affiliated w/ GVS. But this is my go-to live-with-the-virus solution.

Back to the meat of this thread.

What Aaron Collins doesn't know about #masks can be written on the back of a stamp.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Key points:

🌂 Cloth masks: 30-60% protection for wearer.
🌂 Surgical: 40-80% & 'leaky'.
☂️ Find a KF94/N95/FFP2 that is comfy & fits.

There's a huge array of #facemasks & #respirators on the market now. Choose one that you like the look of, that fits well, and meets industry-certified standards.

☘ N95 (US) = FFP2 (UK/EU).
☘ N99 (US) = FFP3 (UK/EU).
☘ KF94 (Korea).
🌱 KN95 (China).

On the '3M Aura' respirator.

💮 Unvalved.
💮 95%+ filtration.
💮 Easy, safe, clear speech.
💮 Original products via the 3M website: shop locally or online.

🔅 Buy 3M Aura 9320+ (UK/EU ~ FFP2):
3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/p/d/v…

🔅 Buy 3M Aura 9205+ (US ~ N95):
3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/v…

🎬 How to correctly wear and test-fit your 3M Aura N95/FFP2 mask/respirator:



The Aura shown in this official 3M (Singapore) video is the '3M N95 9210'. Asia also follows the US-style N95 classification.

#MaskUp #Masks #mask #MasksWork #COVIDisAirborne

Real-world recommendations for the 3M #N95/#FFP2 Aura:

🌾

🌾

I'm not affiliated to 3M, and I make nothing from sales: but I think this respirator rocks.

#COVIDisAirborne #MaskUp #facemask #mask

So how do I clean a disposable #N95/#FFP2 mask like the Aura?



❌ You don't. Don't wash, or spray with hand-sanitiser or alcohol: it will damage them.

✅ Rotate 7 masks on a weekly basis, and dispose of after 5 uses. Better still, hang them in the sun.

If you're anxious about landfill waste, there are reusable, disinfectable options - like the ultra-light #N95 #Airgami whose origami origins and scientific makeover create an elegant, safe #mask with a self-conforming fit.

🦋 @Air99_LLC
🦋 airgami.life/collections/
🇺🇲 / 🇨🇦 only.

Real-world recommendations for the #N95 #Airgami #facemask.

🌐 airgami.life/products/white…

Teachers and lecturers favour the Airgami for clear voice projection; mountain-bikers and hikers for unhampered breathability; and glasses- and hearing-aid wearers report easy compatibility.

A note on fit.

The #GVS #Elipse #P100 has its own proprietary fit-test kit - the SPM414 - bought separately.

If you want an airtight #FFP2/#N95 seal, consider taping the edges of the #mask to your face with hypoallergenic tape.

Stubble and beards severely affect a safe seal.

A note on haircuts.

Both the #elastomeric GVS Elipse #P100 and the #FFP2/#N95 3M Aura #masks use headbands; the #Airgami has options for headbands or ear-loops.

For a no-risk #haircut: tape an #Aura to your face & release the headbands; or use an alternative N95 with ear-loops.

On #N95 hesitancy, and switching from cloth to hi-fi #masks.

'I tried an N95 for the first time today. I'd held off initially b/c I struggle with anxiety while mask-wearing... I find them easier to wear than cloth - I don't feel so constrained and they don't touch my mouth.'

On real-life GVS #Elipse #P100 #mask-wearing, and shyness in public.

🌾

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🌾

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#MaskUp

When and where? An #FFP2/#N95 or an #elastomeric #mask? Your choice.

For the clinically vulnerable or super-cautious:

🌾

From Brian Hjelle, a highly-respected virologist and one of the clearest voices in this pandemic:

🌾

On eye protection.

'Omicron is probably an object lesson in "why we should also protect eyes". Hey, I don't like it any more than you.'

Doctor-friendly goggles:

🥽

'Assume conjunctivae of eyes are subject to infection.'

👀

Eye protection is something I've never used, and have no experience of. In shops and other face-to-face settings, I wear glasses and sanitise afterwards. On a crowded subway/tube/MRT, I would certainly wear sealed, wraparound goggles. Taste and fit? Time to do your own research.

A word on #children and #masks.

If your views on the topic approach anywhere near this spectrum of bat-nuttiness, the next part of this thread is not for you.

#MaskUp #MasksWork #facemask #facemasks #elastomeric #mask

But as any good primary school teacher will tell you: ignore the bad, and praise the good.

So let's cut to the quick.

🦋 Buy a variety of sizes and styles, and choose the one that not only fits your child - but is one that they like... and will wear.

A quick change of pace. Take five and read 'A Modest Proposal: Schools Must Open With Untested, Unmasked, Unvaccinated Children'.

🌐 sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-modest-propo…

The penny should drop at around the 30-second mark. If it doesn't, then this thread still isn't for you.

#MaskUp

There's a lot of mixed-messaging - and flat-out wrong factoids - doing the rounds about kids & masks. (And some even comes from official health channels.)

Don't believe the hype: trust your Mums.

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🦋 For UK military-grade filtration FFP2 (N95) respirators for toddlers to adults: try the Cambridge Mask Co.

🌿 Reusable. Adjustable nose-clip w/ toggles.

🌐 cambridgemask.com

🦋 For 2+ to 16 yrs:
🌐 cambridgemask.com/blogs/news/fac…

🦋 Sizing chart:
🌐 cambridgemask.com/pages/size-cha…

🇨🇦 The Canadians have got it right: authentic, made in #Canada - and their #kids' #N95 range is currently sold out.

This may tell you something.

🌐 canadastrongmasks.ca

🦋 From 4-11 years to teen/adult.
🦋 Expandable 3-D shape similar to KF94.
🦋 Metal nose-piece.

#MaskUp

🇺🇸 The USA-made 'Flo Mask', designed from the ground up for children, is the closest thing you'll get to an #elastomeric #respirator for #kids.

🌐 flomask.com

🌿 Reusable.
🦋 From 4-12 years.
🦋 99.8% filtration.
🦋 600% more breathable than FDA standards.

#MaskUp

For hints, advice and tips for parents to help their child choose and use a #mask safely - as well as encouraging them to wear it - try the FAQs at the Cambridge Mask Co.

🦋 cambridgemask.com/blogs/news/fac…

#MasksWork #MaskUp #FaceMasksForKids #masks #facemasks #COVIDisAirborne

And for the last word on #masks and #respirators for children, please see this excellent thread by Dr. Alex Huffman (@HuffmanLabDU) for more pointers, resources and discussion.

🦋

Only a parent can make a final choice; please experiment and read widely.

Don't be a baby.

🎬

Put yours on.

#MasksSaveLives #MaskUp #MasksWork

A thread on #elastomeric #respirators, #N95, #KN95, #FFP2 and #KF94 #respirators and #masks, care & fit, sourcing, testing, real-world examples & tips, warnings, children's masks, cute alternatives - and why you might want to upgrade now.

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1476473…

January 2022.

🦎 From hereon in: notes and additions to the thread.



Mask study comparing fit:

° 'N95 respirators had average total inward leakage (TIL) of <1%;
° KN95s (ear loops) had an average 16% TIL;
° Cloth & procedure [surgical] masks had TILs from 71% - 44%.'

From Aaron Collins:

"The key thing with ear-loop masks is that users need adjustable ear loops. Ear-loop masks are more sensitive to mask-sizing."

Inward-leakage test results:

• An adjusted FFP2/N95 vs. non-adjusted;
• An FFP2/N95 with a surgical over the top;
○ An #FFP2/#N95 mask taped to the face;
• A surgical mask on its own.

✅ A little hypoallergenic tape can save you a lot of brain/kidney/liver damage.

#MaskUp

One of the tweets in my mask thread annoys me. It needs fixing.

Rotate disposable, high-quality masks: ✅.

My last comment? I live in the tropics. Black mold is a big issue in 95% humidity. Plenty of sunlight/UV, so hanging masks in the sun between rotations helps *too*... 🙏🏽

Detailed, hands-on, tried-and-tested search for the perfect #elastomeric #respirator for a smaller face.

The @ParentMishmash verdict? A Honeywell HM500 Series in Small.

Plenty of other options here to look into...

#Masks #MaskUp #MasksSaveLives #P100

A note on masking - and not masking.



Here's another note on masking:

ubudhigh.com/bali_2020/a010…

#MaskUp #MasksSaveLives #MasksInSchools #GoElastomeric #P100 #N95 #FFP2 #Masks

As if you needed reminding.

wired.com/story/the-phys…

'A well-sealed FFP2/3 [N95/N99] mask is the single greatest tool humankind has come up with to prevent initial infection, further spread and mutations - as well as an endless pandemic.'

#MaskUp

I hadn't realised that the 'Vax-Only and Nothing Else' crew were a thing; or that they are so incredibly toxic & wrong-headed; and as dangerous as any of the other extremist Covid bands.



A thread on putting them right: and why vax-and-mask matters.

On why you need to upgrade your N95s, N99s, FFP2s or FFP3s to an elastomeric mask with #P100 filters.

Up to you. Your throat, your frontal lobe, your heart, your kidneys, your thyroid, your retinas, your liver & your skin.



Bulletproof? #ElastoP100

I think the general idea is to mask up. It saves foetuses from dying in the womb, and pregnant ladies from leaving their husbands 30 years early, and prevents older people from ending up in a care home 5 or 10 years before their time.

I especially approve of this chap's eye-pro.

Your Monkeypox.

If SARS-CoV-2 can infect via droplets & eyes, and airborne Monkeypox can infect via droplets (and exchanges of bodily fluids & fomites & physical contact), then eye-protection also makes sense.

I went for the Bollé CONTPSI Bronze. Ideal match with an elastomeric GVS Elipse P100.

I told you the unvalved GVS (M/L) SPR644 #P100 #elastomeric #mask was good: so good that stock has run out.

Amazon? A 404.

You're in luck if you have a smaller face: the (S/M) SPR643 is still on the shelves.

amazon.com/dp/B095YC3ZD5

#BulletproofP100

Two #GVS #Elipse accessories that are essential for fit and future-proofing your #P100 #elastomeric #respirator are the...

🦋 SPM578 Elipse Mask Cradle Pad

gvs.com/en/catalog/spm…

🦋 ... and an SPM558 Elipse #Mask Particulate Strap Support Assembly.

gvs.com/en/catalog/spm…

But why would you want to mask up when you are #ClingingToNormal?

#C19 #Masks #Elastomeric #Respirator #P100

#MaskUpToAvoidManAndWomanAndChildAndBabyAndUnbornBabySlaughter

#KillingAintCool

Slightly off-topic: but a major reason why many can't/don't want to be bothered to mask up.



And have convinced themselves that bringing others down to their own level of brash selfishness is fine.

An interesting psychological take here.

#CovidKills

I'm now officially fairly tired of being told that I'm fearful while I wear a respirator - not just for myself, but for the ones I love.



To the naysayers in my life: You're dangerous.

#Senicide #Infanticide #C19Kills #SelfishAF

I get:

"Life is for living [in a care home after you can't remember how many kids you've had / with an eternal Grade 1 headache / after a stroke]!"

and

"Time to live your best life [while knocking off a few foetuses]!"

From family.

#C19Maims

An extremely important kernel of knowledge while you're using a high-quality respirator like a #P100 #elastomeric: yes, you will be able to smell through it. And yes, your respirator (if it's fitted well) will continue to protect you from C-19.

#N100

A full-on review of the Flo Mask by the no-messing Dr. Satoshi Akima.

Verdict? Very light; wear-and-forget; excellent voice clarity; and extremely effective.

A caveat: be careful how you position it on your face.

Caucasian & Asian versions available.

More unbiased, real-world hands-on feedback on the adult #elastomeric Flo Mask by another doctor who knows her way around a #respirator.

flomask.com

🌸 Ideal children's version too.

✅ Verdict? Go for it.

#ElastomericBulletproof #Mask

A crucial advantage of choosing an #elastomeric #respirator over a more standard #N95/#N99 #FFP2/#FFP3 #mask like the 3M Aura or VFlex is the extremely high first-off chance of an airtight seal.

This can't be understated.

#GoElastomeric #P100 #N100 #ElastomericBulletproof

At this point, where the majority have been fooled/willingly cajoled into dumping their masks, I can only see an elastomeric as the go-to protection.

But if you have to wear an N95/FFP2, double-sided tape is heavily recommended to achieve a better seal.

If you need an N95/FFP2 that is MRI- and CT-safe, then the strapless, metalless, self-adhesive Readimask is your option.

readimask.com/why-readimask-…

Also a solid choice if you must sleep in a mask - in a hospital, or on a 'plane.

nb. Haircuts.

#MaskUp

On 'Glasses & Risk of COVID-19 Transmission'.

medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

Takeaway: wearing some form of eye-protection is a good idea in this pandemic. Think face-to-face contact.

Keep your glasses on; go full goggle; or buy some clear wraparounds like the 'Bollé CONTPSI Bronze'.

An Omicron-updated mask index showing relative risk for an uninfected person - from naked face to fitted N95/FFP2.

With thanks to @akm5376, the creator of the index - and @ParentMishmash and @LazarusLong13 - all solid follows in the mask & respirator world.

#Masks #FFP2 #N95

If you want 100% bona fide products, a respirator/mask manufacturer may well link direct to their Amazon shop from their official website - eg. GVS or 3M.

It's all about full confidence in what you wear now in a one-way masking street. This pandemic is stressful enough as it is.

An #N100/#P100 #elastomeric #respirator with full eye protection *and* crystal clear speech?

Expensive at $210 all-in; but priceless safety and self-protection.

Follow and trust the OG maskman @LazarusLong13 for advice.

#OneWayMasking #MaskUp #GoFullElastomeric #Masks

I'm not recommending N95s or FFP2s from now.

They worked well enough for 2021's variants in a two-way masking environment; but they will certainly not offer you bulletproof protection in 2022.

The game has changed. #Elastomeric #P100/#N100 all the way.

What's the best/easiest #P100/#N100/#P3 #elastomeric half-face #mask?

Follow the thread. Plenty of invaluable gems & suggestions here.

Time to save yourself - because nobody else will.

#MaskUp #OneWayMasking #ElastomericBulletproof #Masks