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Comment by _ea1k | Hacker News Reader

On the one hand, its great news that a simple hack can increase the effectiveness of face masks.

On the other, I'm really disappointed that we haven't done a lot more work during this pandemic to develop comfortable masks that are inexpensive and effective for both the wearer and as source control.

It would resolve a lot of issues with anti-mask folks if the masks themselves were simply more effective.

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I actually believe the contrary to be true: if most people were given well-fitting masks that effectively filtered the air, mask adoption wold be much lower.

Because wearing a properly fitted mask that actually filters the air you breath in and out is extremely discomforting after about half an hour. I've used well-fitted 3M 6500 masks a lot for working with nasty glues etc. Those only filter the air you inhale, and have a very broad silicone lip to distribute the sealing pressure. Still it's a lot more uncomfortable than any of the usual Covid face masks I've tried.

I believe the two largest benefits of mask wearing as currently implemented is catchment of ballistically travelling saliva from sick individuals, and reduction of hand-face contact in all individuals. And for those two, filtration efficiency is irrelevant.

IMO the 7500's are more comfortable than the simple medical masks that pull on your ears, or simple N95's that squish your head. But I wouldn't want to wear mine for a long shift, because it gets a bit stuffy having removed the check valves.

Also, half face respirators get much lighter and easier to breathe when you swap out the chemical cartridges for P100-only puffball filters (eg 2297).

I'm looking forward to seeing how the sleek fabric ones feel, after the pandemic is over and I just need to thwart surveillance cameras.

The authors write: it is notable that enhancements that improve the seal between the mask and the facial skin dramatically improve FFE performance, suggesting that fit, not material, is the intrinsic limiting factor for procedure masks.

Ditching cloth masks for low costs medical masks was a revelation for me. I can finally hold a conversation with someone or walk a few flights of steps without it getting suction-cupped to my face. I even leave them in place during workouts because I simply forget they are there (rather than pulling them off for my set).

This depends on the type of the cloth mask.

My mother has made many for different organizations. After a bit of "what fits me" the fitted/shaped oval doesn't fit me well. The pleated design, however, when made sufficiently large, fits reasonably.

The ability to talk was the problem that I had with the fitted design - moving the jaw up and down would cause either the top or the bottom of the fitted mask to move out of place. The pleated mask, however, is a much larger piece of fabric and has the slack in it to allow it to move with my jaw.

I don't think it's a development issue, it's an education issue. There are plenty of masks out there that fit well and are meant to be worn for extended periods of time, be it in a medical environment or a trades environment.

The problem is people who didn't wear the masks pre pandemic don't necessarily know how to properly fit a mask or how to identify product lines that are of higher quality and better for long term wear.

OSHA has a lot of great videos on this topic and has regularly published on it for decades, but we've done a poor job disseminating it to the general public.

Or due to a complete lack of standards, if you have been fitted for a particular mask pre-pandemic, you’re basically screwed on buying that exact model and nobody has a list of “99% of people fitted for this mask also fit this other mask”

3M VFlex has been around since before the start of the pandemic and has a great seal and is comfortable.

> It would resolve a lot of issues with anti-mask folks if the masks themselves were simply more effective.

Citation needed.

Not really something that needs a citation, IMO. These masks are source control, so their effectiveness is dependent upon everyone wearing them.

If they were able to more effectively protect the wearer, a few folks not wearing them has less impact.

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