Researchers created a test to determine which masks are the least effective

[Nevilledog]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/08/us/duke-university-face-mask-test-trnd/index.html

(CNN)Schools are reopening, amusement parks are welcoming back visitors, and outdoor dining is the new way to eat out. But despite the signs that life is returning back to normal, the coronavirus pandemic has gone nowhere.

That's why a group of researchers at Duke University created a simple technique to analyze the effectiveness of various types of masks which have become a critical component in stopping the spread of the virus.

The quest began when a professor at Duke's School of Medicine was assisting a local group buy masks in bulk to distribute to community members in need. The professor wanted to make sure the group purchased masks that were actually effective.

In the study published Friday, researchers with Duke's physics department demonstrated the use of a simple method that uses a laser beam and cell phone to evaluate the efficiency of masks by studying the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech.

*snip*

[Wednesdays]

1. Useful article, but I'm a bit disappointed

They spend more ink on "don't try this at home" than on details on the various masks and how all of them rank in the tests, and why.

[Kali]

2. with the exception of the knit gaiters, pretty much in-line with what was already known

interesting about the knit fleece being worse than nothing!

link to study - https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/08/07/sciadv.abd3083

[LisaL]

3. Not really.

N95 did the best by far, which I guess is surprise to no one. But even valved N95 did better in protecting others than some of the cottons. So a valve doesn't necessarily render a good mask useless for protection of others.