Masks

paleoperson

Yes: surgical

Another thing people might like to think about is refraining from picking their nose. Firstly it's inserting one of the most dangerous areas for picking up the virus (the fingers, surely the worst part of the notoriously contaminated hands) into possibly the most dangerous area for transmission (the mouth being the other... but it might end up in saliva and swallowed if you put your finger in your mouth and swallowing it is not harmful).

Secondly, one of the main entire points of mucus or phlegm is to trap pathogens. The more you have of it in your nose the better.

cnocbui

Why You Should Be Picking Your Nose and Eating Your Bogies to Boost Your Immune System

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/health/a26808694/pick-your-nose-and-eat-your-bogies-to-boost-your-immune-system/

"By consuming those pathogens caught within the mucus, could that be a way to teach your immune system about what it's surrounded with?" is the hypothesis Scott Napper posed to his students.

Napper noted that snot has a sugary taste and that may be a signal to the body to consume it and derive information for the immune system.

"I've got two beautiful daughters and they spend an amazing amount of time with their fingers up their nose," he said. "And without fail, it goes right into their mouth afterwards. Could they just be fulfilling what we're truly meant to do?"

Napper said his hypothesis also fits into other theories that examine the link between improved hygiene and an increase in allergies and auto-immune disorders.

"From an evolutionary perspective, we evolved under very dirty conditions and maybe this desire to keep our environment and our behaviours sterile isn't actually working to our advantage," he said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/picking-your-nose-and-eating-it-may-be-good-for-you-1.1387917?cmp=rss

I am in no means suggesting this is a good idea in the circumstances, quite the opposite, almost certainly a very bad idea, just thought it was grossly amusing.

paleoperson

Yes: surgical

cnocbui wrote: »

I am in no means suggesting this is a good idea in the circumstances, quite the opposite, almost certainly a very bad idea, just thought it was grossly amusing.

yeah I definitely don't believe that. I find it really repulsive and would never eat it. In theory there could be something to it but in reality not as far as I'm concerned. Not trying to be graphic here but there was some research a while ago stating that the point of oral sex is to expose viruses or antigens to women in a safe way or something like that?

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a nasal spray that supposedly blocks viruses in general but am on the fence about it. If it really worked well then you'd think immunocompromised people and healthcare workers would use it all the time and we'd all know about it.

runswithascript

Yes: other

Has anyone found masks being sold online available for order right now that look legit? I have been looking on Amazon and so many of them have bad reviews or look fake. I would prefer one that I can leave in the boot for several weeks and wash and use again, but I will accept completely disposable also.

Please let me know, I have to go in to a hospital.

Seanergy

Yes: valved

2u2me wrote: »

Your eyes though are still pretty exposed, so getting the best super duper mask going is pretty pointless unless you also opt for the protective eye wear.

If your reason for wearing a mask is to protect others than the only thing that is pretty pointless is what you said. Your eyes are not breathing out, spitting out or sneezing out contamination

If you listened to Professor KK Chen on Primtime last thurday you would have heard him say how we should get away from the concept of an act of self protection and move onto the concept of an act of protecting others against droplets that may come out of our airwaves.

paleoperson

Yes: surgical

runswithascript wrote: »

Has anyone found masks being sold online available for order right now that look legit? I have been looking on Amazon and so many of them have bad reviews or look fake. I would prefer one that I can leave in the boot for several weeks and wash and use again, but I will accept completely disposable also.

Please let me know, I have to go in to a hospital.

I think a lot of those reviews are scam reviews by competitors and wouldn't pay too much attention to them. Sad the depths people will go in a time like this but I've seen plenty of dodgy-looking reviews on masks.

Find the ones that are N95 or at a similar classification level.

riffmongous

cnocbui wrote: »

I may well be wrong, but my understanding is that the virus' molecular key targets a match with ACE-2 receptors, which are mostly found in the back of the nose - hence the unpleasant swab - and in the aveoli deep in the lungs.

Keying with this receptor is what tricks the cell wall into lowering it's guard and allows the virus to inject it's RNA for replication. Unless eyes have ACE-2 receptors, I suspect the virus might not have a great prospect for entering the body via that route and making it's way to the lungs before some element of the immune system asks it for it's credentials.

Your eyes are connected to your nose though aren't they? It's why people get a runny nose while crying

Sam Quentin

riffmongous wrote: »

Your eyes are connected to your nose though aren't they? It's why people get a runny nose while crying

I don't remember that in the song!?
Gimme a min: YOUR SHIN BONE CONNECTED TO YOUR KNEE BONE 🎶🎵etc etc...... NO DEFINITELY NOT

khalessi

Yes: surgical

They wear goggles and face masks for a reason

greasepalm

Yes: other

Lucky i got this weeks ago

2u2me

Seanergy wrote: »

If your reason for wearing a mask is to protect others than the only thing that is pretty pointless is what you said. Your eyes are not breathing out, spitting out or sneezing out contamination

If you listened to Professor KK Chen on Primtime last thurday you would have heard him say how we should get away from the concept of an act of self protection and move onto the concept of an act of protecting others against droplets that may come out of our airwaves.

Some people suffer from underlying conditions and are in need of helpful information like I added to a discussion on whether the masks where able to protect against the smallest of particles. But sure hijack what I said out of context to pigeon hole your agenda as you wish.

cnocbui

greasepalm wrote: »

Lucky i got this weeks ago

Well no one can accuse you of doing things by half measures!

paleoperson

Yes: surgical

2u2me wrote: »

Some people suffer from underlying conditions and are in need of helpful information like I added to a discussion on whether the masks where able to protect against the smallest of particles. But sure hijack what I said out of context to pigeon hole your agenda as you wish.

Your statement "Your eyes though are still pretty exposed, so getting the best super duper mask going is pretty pointless unless you also opt for the protective eye wear." is absolutely not the case.

The mask is the main thing in terms of PPE. Goggles are the cherry on top. You do NOT need the goggles, they are like a bonus.

ok, in reading over it, I am starting to interpret your post in a different way. I see what you mean now. You're suggesting there is no point in spending a lot on wildly expensive masks if your eyes aren't also protected. I get your post now.

But you can see how it could be misinterpreted. In any case, I would still take a personal oxygen tank mask over a regular N95 mask with eye protection.

snoopboggybog

Yes: to protect others

Seen some good posts on facebook making them out of tinfoil and cling film and one air hole which seems to work with cloth.

They actually look pretty good

Tokyo

CDC instructions for sew and no-sew masks:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html


If you have HEPA vacuum cleaner bags:
https://mikeshouts.com/doctor-explains-how-to-make-the-safest-face-mask/

dublin99

Coronavirus can remain on face masks for up to a week, study finds:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3078511/coronavirus-can-remain-face-masks-week-study-finds

Please be very careful and do not touch outside surface of mask.

Wibbs

Yes: other

paleoperson wrote: »

Not trying to be graphic here but there was some research a while ago stating that the point of oral sex is to expose viruses or antigens to women in a safe way or something like that?

Clearly written by lonely male researchers hoping to get blow jobs... And men get involved in oral too.

2u2me wrote: »

Some people suffer from underlying conditions and are in need of helpful information like I added to a discussion on whether the masks where able to protect against the smallest of particles.

PP3/N100 is the highest filtration level, filters out over 99% of particles in the air. PP2/N95 is a little below that. The different standards vary a little, but that's the gist of it 2u2me.

Now the virus is technically smaller than the filtration capacity of N95, but the virus is floating about in aerosols, droplets of saliva and the like, which are much much larger and that's what is being stopped. Even the most basic homemade cotton mask will stop most of that being exhaled and in turn inhaled by comparison to not wearing a mask, or coughing into a tissue, or the crook of the arm. The latter is what's currently recommended for airway hygiene, but apparently masks are next to useless...

Wibbs

Yes: other

mike_ie wrote: »

CDC instructions for sew and no-sew masks:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html


If you have HEPA vacuum cleaner bags:
https://mikeshouts.com/doctor-explains-how-to-make-the-safest-face-mask/

Even non HEPA hoover bag material will up the filtration significantly over cotton or other fabrics.

dublin99 wrote: »

Coronavirus can remain on face masks for up to a week, study finds:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3078511/coronavirus-can-remain-face-masks-week-study-finds

Please be very careful and do not touch outside surface of mask.

Good advice D, always remove a mask by the elastic straps and remove the mask last when you come home. Though I'd personally not be too concerned at least not to the point of paranoia about some of these studies and the longevity of viral particles. They're being rushed out in the middle of this crisis where people are naturally searching for answers and they're under laboratory conditions, the results vary and they're being filtered(no pun) through the media. How long they actually last in an infectable form in the real world is another matter. As they researchers themselves note: the results did “not necessarily reflect the potential to pick up the virus from casual contact”, as the presence of the virus in the study was detected by laboratory tools, not fingers and hands as would be the case in everyday life.

JoChervil

Wibbs wrote: »

Even non HEPA hoover bag material will up the filtration significantly over cotton or other fabrics.

Hoover fabric filtrates well but it is difficult to breathe through it. So the best filtration/breathing balance you can get from cotton blends.

Bob24

JoChervil wrote: »

Hoover fabric filtrates well but it is difficult to breathe through it. So the best filtration/breathing balance you can get from cotton blends.

Yeah that’s one thing to keep in mind: the more you filter, the harder it gets to breath through it. So it is a balancing act between appropriate filtering and comfort/usability

In terms of mask ratings for self protection, FFP2 seems the best compromise in many cases, but it does get uncomfortable after some time. I think for group protection and assuming we had unlimited supply of whichever masks we wanted, surgical masks might be better assuming absolutely everyone wears one; as it is easier to breath through them meaning it is easier get people wear them consistently.

PhoenixParker

Doesng hoover bag fabric have fibreglass particles that are basically like asbestos when they get to your lungs? Be careful the cure isn't worse than the disease.

Wibbs

Yes: other

PhoenixParker wrote: »

Doesng hoover bag fabric have fibreglass particles that are basically like asbestos when they get to your lungs? Be careful the cure isn't worse than the disease.

Not nearly as damaging and dangerous as asbestos*, but a good point. Personally I'd only use hoover bag material as a removable layer sandwiched between two layers of fabric.







*Military and civilian gas masks used to utilise asbestos as part of the filter material. Up until the 80's in the former Soviet Bloc. One big reason why you should never wear a vintage gas mask until you are sure it doesn't contain the stuff.

runswithascript

Yes: other

What do you guys think of these N99 Filter, 2-Way vents, Activated Carbon Filtration, Exhaust Fumes, Anti Pollen & Allergy, Urban Pollution, Cycling, running, hiking, gardening, DIY, fitness training



Only €4.99 from Amazon DE but £10 each delivered, even if placing an order for more than one.

runswithascript

Yes: other

Gangsters.

Bob24

runswithascript wrote: »

What do you guys think of these N99 Filter, 2-Way vents, Activated Carbon Filtration, Exhaust Fumes, Anti Pollen & Allergy, Urban Pollution, Cycling, running, hiking, gardening, DIY, fitness training



Only €4.99 from Amazon DE but £10 each delivered, even if placing an order for more than one.

Not sure about what "2-Way vents" implies.

On regular FFP2/FFP3 masks with vents, the vent is only for exhaustion as it basically provides a free airflow in that direction (i.e. no filtering). So having such vent in each direction basically would mean no filtering.

There is probably more to it with this mask, but I would research that point carefully before using it.

Coralcoras

Yes: valved

I’m researching materials myself for an added layer of protection (I know it’s not 100% but I’d be happy with any increases when protecting others from me if I’m asymtomatic). With layering and balancing protection with comfort.

I had a baby recently and looked into breastfeeding pads and reusable nappies etc and I think some principles are transferable here.

Inner layer: Fleece material to wick moisture away from the skin and towards middle layer (1 layer)
Middle layer: Terry cloth for soakage (2 layers)
Outer layer: quilters cotton, as its tightly woven (1 layer)

Thought about water resistant hydrophobic PUL outer layer but I don’t think I could breath through that.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome

silverharp

Might need a fact check but interesting statement

https://twitter.com/ClimateAudit/status/1246973591658299392

whiskeyman

Yes: valved

Cillian De Gascun on Pat Kenny this morning saying he still doesn't recommend masks, but is aware of CDC guidance to wear them.
Says they are 'looking' and reviewing the situation looking for 'evidence based research'.

This flies against basic crisis management thought of 'perfection is the enemy of good'.
WHO Irishman Mike Ryan is now well known for saying 'If you need to be right before you move, you will never win,'.

Bob24

silverharp wrote: »

Might need a fact check but interesting statement

Interesting, would be worth doing a bit more research into it indeed.

"no-one" probably is an overstatement, but I well believe they have a lot less contagions.

Also wearing masks must be a factor, but another one is much better compliance with confinement rules. I know several Chinese people in Dublin and at most they leave their home once a week for grocery shopping ... the most hardcore guy I know is surviving on a stockpile of instant noodles and virtually hasn't left his ensuite bedroom in the past 2 weeks (let alone gone outdoor), which even I as someone fairly wary about the situation find a bit extreme :-D (and possibly not great for his body / immune system to eat that stuff everyday)

ixoy

Broadly speaking, is the logic here currently that:

1) Masks are definitely better for stopping you spreading the virus

2) You should assume that everyone you meet may have the virus.

So on the basis they might have the virus (2), you want them to wear a mask (1)
and, from their perspective, they want you to also wear a mask.