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Comment by Panino | Hacker News Reader

> Joseph Lyou, a South Coast air quality board member who heads the Coalition for Clean Air, said he’s concerned that although the intensity of Southern California’s air pollution has dropped, its longevity is increasing.

If air quality becomes more consistently bad then maybe wearing a mask, like in some Asian countries, will become more socially acceptable. Sometimes I'd like to wear one but I'm scared people would treat me like I have TB or ebola.

And even on clear days, the air is still bad next to busy roads.

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Masks help with particulate, which I think is Asia's core problem (from all the coal). But most bad-air US cities struggle with ozone, and I don't think masks help with that.

Where I live has elevated levels of both thanks to wildfires. It was so bad last summer that at one point, I could barely see the house across the street. Something's got to give.

Have you considered moving? There are lots of places that don't have these kinds of air problems.

but weather is so nice here /s

Would just note that it depends on the mask. They often have a large amount of leakage, and can give a false sense of security.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-airpollution-masks...

I notice an obvious and immediate improvement wearing a mask in Asia. And according to this article, the masks tested were effective in reducing the amount of pollution inhaled. "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."

A couple of hours in Manila’s traffic on a motorbike coated my ears with black dust. If you can even just reduce that intake by 30%, your lungs will be happier.

However the masks worn on the streets in Asia don’t do anything to stop the 2.5 particulates.

I question this; "pm2.5" is a big marketing term in China. Do you think the masks are lying about what they filter, or were you under the impression that people weren't buying pm2.5 masks?

Incorrect. A mask rated N95 filters out more than 95% of particles (PM) larger than 0.3 microns — that’s much smaller even than PM2.5 microns. Certified 3M N95 rated masks are sold all over China.

The question is how much air bypasses the masks at the sides. The holes there are huge and any air that passes there will basically have the full smaller particle load. Do the masks produce considerably more resistance to breathing if you press them on with your hands? That would be a sign of this happening.

Apparently charcoal can remove some ozone, but I’d less effective when humidity is high. So putting charcoal dust in a disposable mask and breathing on it all day would do very little.

There is a company called Respro that makes masks for cyclists that make you look like you're on your way to a rave, not like you have TB.

The masks generally worn in Asian countries will have no impact on pollution related health issues. The dangerous particulate size, PM 2.5, require N95/N99 rating and are specialized masks. Off the shelf surgical masks or similar cloth covers are ineffective, which are the ones commonly worn in Asia. It also depends on what pollution you are trying to combat. Particles is one thing, CO2 or O3 is a different problem to solve.

The real solution is green energy production and electric transportation.

They sell N95 rated masks in almost every convenient store in China...

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