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So, I thought this was interesting here seeing as I rt’d this fellow earlier today. I’m trying to not be dogmatic about my position on masking because I’ve come to hate them for what they stand for. Some thoughts ....
... I thought it was interesting to see that in this study some kind of cloth masks can make a difference on stopping aerosols. One one hand, it’s nice to see that there is some evidence that a non-n95 mask is anything but an accessory. ....
.... However, getting into more critical space I had some questions which weren’t readily explained in the clever interactive chart, mainly being how were these tested? I’m sure I can go digging but without that information it leaves out plausibility...
... And by plausibility I mean this: they tested a double layer of tight weave percale with a filter in between and rated it very high against aerosol sized particles. Was this tested in a way that reflects how a mask would be worn on a human face...
... or was it done over mechanical vacuums with a tight seal that’s unattainable or unreasonable on a face? FWIU, a seal and fit are crucial for how well a respirator works. It would need to be similar in a functional “cloth” mask. ...
... Secondly, let’s say that it is somehow well sealed and tight so that the breath comes in through the cloth; how hard is it to breath through that much cloth and filter? After all, a filter that will have that sort efficiency would have a lot of resistance. ...
... Would this be unreasonable to expect workers to wear these for hours a day, or even average citizens walking down the street. We may see actual hypoxic symptoms and injuries from that level of filtration. ...
... On the note of workers - how well does it filter once damp? How often would a worker need to change their mask in a shift?
Anyway, what were hitting here is the theoretical vs the real world. ...
Anyway, what were hitting here is the theoretical vs the real world. ...
... Mechanistic studies are great to determine how things perform in a controlled way to have data on one variable. The world has the meeting of hundreds of different factors that can nullify the effect of that one factor. ...
... To end this thread, I see a disturbing trend in this age of experts: the expert knows his own field but is often myopic in ability to see how their data and expertise interweave with the rest of the world in which they are not experts. ...
... We trust experts because we know they are intelligent and trust their knowledge in their field, but we also seem to assume that they have some greater wisdom because of their expertise. They are not the same thing.
