😷🧵 Going into winter I'd like to take a moment to share my masking precautions for covid/illness prevention.😄 1. Time, Distance, Shielding Minimize exposure wherever practical. Follow the ALARA principle: As Low As Reasonably Achievable. This is the key principle of radiation safety as well.
Wear a good quality mask, N95 or better. If needing a cheaper, very effective option, I recommend Vitacore earloop masks. They test at >99% filtration efficiency and are cheaper than NIOSH N95s, altho fit can be an issue... shop.vitacore.com
shop.vitacore.com
Anytime fit is an issue for a mask, I recommend mask or fashion tape strips that are skin safe + Skin Tac. This guarantees a good fit as long as the mask isn't too wet...
Speaking of wet masks, damp or wet masks should be swapped out ASAP! N95s with a permanent electrostatic charge are the only masks proven to filter nanoparticle viruses like SARS2. Therefore it's very important to keep masks dry while wearing and give them time to dry between uses... As for long term care, N95 filters should never come into contact with solvents as it removes the electrostatic charge. The charge remains effective after a mask is wetted and dried, which means masks can be reused, altho there is little research on this topic pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Beyond masking, ventilation and air filtration are the best methods to prevent covid infection. Air filters should be MERV-11 or better or HEPA filters. Finally, please use caution donning and doffing masks as the outer surface can be potentially virus contaminated. Definitely make sure to wear masks properly to protect against covid, atypical pheumonia and flu this winter!
