With face masks becoming one of the most prominent shields to keep coronavirus at bay, wearing one has become mandatory across the world. Doctors insist on it to ward off the virus and governments are imposing hefty fines for those who flout the norms. As such, it is very important to sport a mask and also do it effectively so that it serves its purpose.
But now, researchers have also stumbled upon some findings that say wearing a used mask is less effective at protecting one against the virus than not wearing one, a Daily Mail report said.
The three-layered surgical masks, which healthcare workers use were found to be significantly effective at first use with them pushing out nearly three-quarters of particles that can cause the infection to spread. However, when they are reused, the masks start to become less effective and can only flush out one quarter of the minute droplets because by that time, they start to lose shape due to wear.
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and California Baptist University thus came to understand that shape of masks need to be brought into consideration for their efficiency.
Associate professor of biomedical engineering at UMass Lowell, Dr Jinxiang Xi was quoted as saying that even though wearing a mask is always thought of as a better idea than not wearing one, the results portrayed that only those particles larger than 5 micrometers can be stopped by a reused mask but not those smaller than 2.5 micrometers, which are easy to pass through.
Made of an absorbent material in the inner part, the mask's middle layers works as a filter while the outlet is of a non-absorbent material, helping to push out the microbes.
The findings of the study, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, comprised of the team using a computer model of a person wearing a mask with pleats. They observed how the tiny particles and droplets then stay in the air while also finding their way inside a person's mouth or nose. team developed a computer model of a person wearing a surgical mask with pleats.
The study found that the masks alter the way the air gets inside one's nose or mouth as in they dont just enter at specific points but do it through the entire surface of the mask. Also, the filtering process is different for new and used masks. While the new masks can keep out over 60 percent of particles, used ones can only do it much less.
To explain the change in the face masks' efficiency, researchers believe the layers on the mask cause the difference between the airflow pattern and once they start being used, the way their shape starts loosening, the masks also lose out on their effectiveness.
There has been a lot of controversy over the mask or anti-mask stance with protests erupting in US and UK and elsewhere. While several Americans continued to protest against mandatory face-mask wearing in several states across the US back in the months, citizens in UK are not far behind. In India too, the anti-masks and anti-vaccine movements are gathering steam with protests being organized in several cities.