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Lazarus Long Profile picture
@LazarusLong13
Jan 5, 2022 • 10 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
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A quick thread on why elastomeric respirators are better than N95's.

In short? Like N95/N99 disposables are better than surgical/cloth masks?

Primarily, fit. Not that fit 👇👇.

How it fits to your face.

For a number of different reasons that may surprise you.
First off, getting the respirator to actually fit to your face.

Not all facial geometries are the same.

The Fit Test Panels used to evaluate fit, I submit, do not have enough women or Asians.

Archived the pdf here:
web.archive.org/web/2022010510…

Study here:
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
So, no surprise that with N95 disposables that 👇👇

High - level:
web.archive.org/web/2021082422…

Direct Study Link:
web.archive.org/web/2021020313…
web.archive.org/web/2021082422… Image
Do elastomerics fit easier? Yes - because of the elastomeric material (another way of saying 'rubber-like', but usually made of medical grade silicone.

So when comparing the two, we find a huge difference:

With 60 subjects from the ASA, 98% of elastomerics passed fit testing Image
versus 57% of disposables.

And the single failed fit test for the elasto's? She switched from a medium to a small and passed.

web.archive.org/web/2021020313… Image
In this next study:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/…

87% of participants had experience with elastomerics or disposables.

Only 1.3% had experience with elastos.

So, they were largely experienced at wearing N95's.
Yet, after watching just a 9 minute video, 92% were able to successfully fit the elastos's vs 88.5% in the N95's that they were experienced at.

Let's move on.

Speaking of movement, elastomerics keep their fit much better during movement.

Do you move during your job? Cook?
Clean? Do things as manually involved as CPR?

Then you will want an elasto.

In jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…

N95's performance during CPR was poor. (Filtering Face piece Respirator 👇).

But elastomeric half-mask respirators' (EHMRs) performance was high.

This study confirmed Image
this next study, that CPR causes N95's to lose fit.

Their conclusion is stark and very real.

sciencedirect.com/science/articl… Image
Let's end on a light note.

Elastomeric respirators?

They let you keep fit and having fun!

With clean lungs!

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More from @LazarusLong13

Lazarus Long Profile picture
Dec 21
Oh, we are cooked. Just cooked.

"Brain Mitochondrial dysfunction, known for ~20 years is finally recognized as a central upstream driver of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), not just a downstream effect."

And SARS2's targeting of mitochondria is well-known.

Even in the brain.
/1 We identified dysregulation of mitochondrial and synaptic pathways in deep-layer excitatory neurons and upregulation of neuroinflammation in glia, consistent across both mRNA and protein. Remarkably, these alterations overlapped substantially with changes in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Our work, combining multiple experimental and analytical methods, demonstrates the brain-wide impact of severe acute/subacute COVID-19, involving both cortical and subcortical regions, shedding light on potential therapeutic targets within pat...
@LauraMiers, in case you don't have it.

nature.com/articles/s4358…
@LauraMiers This is yet another reason why I N95.

Read 6 tweets
Lazarus Long Profile picture
Dec 17
@neiljshaw - — a few tips on your excellent article from a clean air advocate

"Consider Wearing a Mask" ?

No, "It is incredibly important to wear a well-fitting mask such as a N95, KN95, or KF94, for the best protection."

You two are doing Image
public health with this article.

Public health is best done with simple clear instructions.

No:
"These masks act as a barrier, reducing the spread of respiratory droplets when people talk, sneeze or cough."

Yes:
"These masks act as a HEPA air cleaner for the face,
cleaning the air of respiratory aerosols when people breathe, talk, sneeze or cough."

The barrier carries the idea of an immovable wall. Unable to be penetrated by things like oxygen and CO2 - which feeds antimaskers.

As an who debunks antimaskers, it is
Read 9 tweets
Lazarus Long Profile picture
Dec 11
As an anonymous clean air advocate, I've put a bit of thought into how to present, well, my expertise.

If someone were to say, "How do I know you know what you are talking about? Are you a doctor, or a virologist?"

To which, I would say...."No, but that's a good thing.
/1
I have focused on aerosol and masking science. Because it is those fields that give us the most information on how airborne particles, aerosols, get from Person A to Person B.

My expertise is derived from the great studies of Dr. Lindsay Marr, MacArthur recipient. Dr. Prather,
double National Academy member, Dr Milton, inventor of the Gesundheit, aerosol scientist and medical doctor; Dr Coleman whose group found that duckbill N95s captured 98% of emitted respiratory aerosols, and more excellent individual aerosol scientists.
Read 17 tweets
Lazarus Long Profile picture
Nov 22
I am not a fan of nasal sprays to stop The 'Vid, but I respect you having it as a layer in the Swiss cheese package.

But, some people have said they got bloody noses.

While at the ER yesterday, I picked up a pretty good at home technique. Let our $1,000 lay-out
Image
save you money.

Use tongue depressors to make a nose pinch clamp.

Leave it on for 30 minutes. Still a problem? Two sprays of Afrin, and re-apply nose pinch clamp. Wait 30 minutes.

Still a problem? Cotton balls sprayed with Afrin, clamp, 30 minutes

aliem.com/trick-of-trade…Image
Image
Image
Afrin- in generic form is $3.32 at Walmart.

Also, put a ice compress at the back of the neck, while doing the above.

"Cooling the nape of the neck is said to induce reflex constriction of the mucosal vessels of the nose"

✅ I agree with the authors.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1568881/Image
Image
Read 6 tweets
Lazarus Long Profile picture
Nov 13
A study demonstrated 100% PERFECT protection against SARS2 w/ readily available KF94s

✅ 181 HCWs
✅ 1 got SARS2 antibodies, but an epi investigation -> the infection happened elsewhere.
😡 The final checkpoint was March 2021. N95s only became freely available 1 month later
/1 FDA: N95 masks, now plentiful, should no longer be reused By MARTHA MENDOZA and JULIET LINDERMAN (Associated Press) April 23, 2021 12:44 p.m. Medical providers may soon return to using one medical N95 mask per patient, a practice that was suspended during the pandemic due to deadly supply shortages
What is described in the tweets
in the USA.

Korean study:
jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=10…

This is in comparison to a Swiss study during the same rough time-frame. A study which did NOT show the same excellent results, but dismal results. Why?

The Swiss had the same sort of fit testing,

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35123572/ Results: We enrolled 3259 participants from nine healthcare institutions, whereof 716 (22%) preferentially used FFP2. Among these, 81/716 (11%) reported a SARS-CoV-2-positive swab, compared to 352/2543 (14%) surgical mask users; seroconversion was documented in 85/656 (13%) FFP2 and 426/2255 (19%) surgical mask users. Adjusted for baseline characteristics, COVID-19 exposure, and risk behaviour, FFP2 use was non-significantly associated with decreased risk for SARS-CoV-2-positive swab (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.0) and seroconversion (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.7, 95% CI ...
PPE monitoring.

What was the big difference?

Are N95s/FFP2s inferior to KF94s?

No, it was supply - and other reasons.
Read 10 tweets
Lazarus Long Profile picture
Nov 5
@tomhanks has just been savaged by people screaming masks don't work.

All hospitals have fiduciary responsibilities to not waste money.

Here is a light sampling of hospitals mandating masks because they work.

Proving that not only do masks work, but mask mandates work.

Thread
Health PEI
Start/End: October 14, 2025 , How many hospitals: 7, employee count: 4,967,

Public hospital,

City: Various (e.g., Charlottetown, Summerside), Province: Prince Edward Island, Country: Canada, full url: princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/health…
Horizon Health Network
Start/End: September 3, 2025 How many hospitals: 12, employee count: 15,000, public or private:

Public hospital.

City: Various (e.g., Saint John, Fredericton),
Province: New Brunswick,
Country: Canada horizonnb.ca/coronavirus-co…
Read 32 tweets

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