Chemicals in Face Masks

[rbowman]

I don't think theyse are Proterras and so far so good.

[trader_4]

There you go again. Let's suppose crappy masks are only 10% effective. We have 8 mil hospitalized right now with Covid, 160K new cases a day. Reducing the chances by even 10% isn't significant? And what's your problem in obtaining an N95 mask, that the same study said were 50% effective? It's the same old tired thing. You could be saying the study showed masks are effective, but you need an N95, which are cheap and readily available. Instead you spread the usual anti-mask FUD. And that is just one study, you ignore the ones that show masks are more effective, like the one someone posted here from India, where they actually had two large groups of similar people, both wearing masks and not wearing them and monitored their compliance and Covid infection rates. I'd take that over your above study using a plastic mannequin, where we have no idea how a mask even fits versus on an actual human.

And there you go again. At least this time you finally mentioned that even the study you cited says that N95 are 50% effective. So now it's "they are only 50% effective, thrown in at the end of your usual FUD. Why isn't your message N95 masks work, they are effective, they can block half of Covid aerosols?

[trader_4]

Not only that, check out who the authors of the study about the potentially harmful chemicals in some masks are. They are from an Indian startup company that makes masks. You don't suppose they have a vested interest, that they claim their masks are safe? They totally lost me when they tried to make a connection between Covid respiratory symptoms being caused by having worn a mask.

The other study is from some water quality journal, trying to measure the trace amounts of anything in masks that are going to wind up in landfills. The whole premise is beyond absurd. I mean they are worried about masks, with trace amounts of some chemicals, compared to all the other wastes going into landfills? It's absurd and all they do is post some numbers without any quantification as to how much of those any person could actually inhale or if those levels constitute any health issue. Finally, even if any of this is true, then the message should be that if you're concerned about this, then wear an N95 mask from a know vendor, eg 3M.

[trader_4]

You could have posted:

"The study I just cited showed that N95 masks are 50% effective at blocking aerosols of the size that carry Covid., so wear an N95, they are better."

But no, just go with the usual FUD instead. Isn't it time for your usual attack on Fauci, CDC, hospitals committing fraud, grossly inflating Covid death numbers and all the rest?

[gfretwell]

I suppose it gets down to how many virus organisms does it take to infect you. I doubt a 10% reduction in aerosols changes that chance much. Would you wear a "bullet resistant vest" that only stops 10% of the bullets?

So you only get half infected? That is also a "properly fitted" and certified N-95, not any knockoff you might buy on Ebay. As for the kids, how well do you figure an adult mask actually fits a kid? Do you think they understand how to wear it? The reality is most will have a cloth mask granny made them or one with a character on it. Nobody will use anything like proper protocol and the mask will become a vector for the disease, not a prevention.

I still say. Let some schools be "mask" schools and some go maskless. Let's see how they do by Christmas break in similar counties. Florida would be a good test bed since we have free choice schools. The student base is truly randomized.

I bet the Louisville study is confirmed. "Conclusions: We did not observe association between mask mandates or use and reduced COVID-19 spread in US states. "

[gfretwell]

Yeah you are only half infected. How many virus colonies is a safe number?

[micky]

I was reading recently that Liberace was cleaning one of his fancy outfits himself when the cleaning fluid fumes he inhaled caused kidney failure!! The hospital, in Pittsburgh fwiw, gave him a 20% chance of survival. But he did and iicu he lived for decades longer.

[micky]

In the hot weather, my hands can only go about 2 hours before they feel dirty, not smooth. Not sweaty, they never get wet. Not clammy. If I don't count those, I can't find anything on google about this.

Washing with soap doesn't seem to take off the last slick (oily?) layer. What seems to work much better is Boraxo (powdered hand soap).

Also very good for getting grease and oil out of one's fingerprints. Although maybe not as good as waterless cleaner like sold to mechanics.

Does anyone else use that.

Other than my hands, the rest of my body doesn't react that way at all, doesn't feel any different in the hot weather.

[micky]

My mother kept Lava for some occasions, but I hate it. I hate its feel. Boraxo does better and feels very good.

[Ralph Mowery]

That was probably in the years when Carbon tetrachloride was used as a cleaning fluid. I think it would cause kidney problems for those that drank alcohol.

[gfretwell]

There were lots of chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents in use in the

60s-90s that were found to be some kind of danger and banned. Law suits are still flying around about those and there are more than a few superfund sites because of them.