Efficacy of masks and face coverings in controlling outward aerosol particle emission from expiratory activities.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a surge in demand for facemasks to protect against disease transmission. In response to shortages, many public health authorities have recommended homemade masks as acceptable alternatives to surgical masks and N95 respirators. Although mask wearing is intended, in part, to protect others from exhaled, virus-containing particles, few studies have examined particle emission by mask-wearers into the surrounding air. Here, we measured outward emissions of micron-scale aerosol particles by healthy humans performing various expiratory activities while wearing different types of medical-grade or homemade masks. Both surgical masks and unvented KN95 respirators, even without fit-testing, reduce the outward particle emission rates by 90% and 74% on average during sp

SUBMITTER: Asadi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7518250 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature