Professor Raina MacIntyre, lead study author and head of UNSW’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine, said the results of the UNSW study on cloth face masks caution civilians and business owners against the use of reusable cotton face masks because it increases risk of respiratory illness and viral infections.
The worst advice online right now is that fashionable and breathable cotton face masks protect against the COVID-19 (coronavirus pandemic). In fact, they act as magnet to virus droplets.
HOW CLOTH FACE MASKS CREATE THE RESPIRATORY INFECTION
“Cotton is hydrophilic, acting like a magnet, pulling virus-loaded droplets right through the mask, onto one’s face and into the nose and mouth,” says Ed Goodwin, founder and product developer of Massachusetts based HipSaver, Inc.
WHAT THE STUDY REVEALED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF REUSABLE CLOTH FACE MASKS
Results by UNSW for the first randomized clinical trial (RCT) study on cotton cloth masks were published in the journal BMJ Open and are as follows:
The trial saw 1607 hospital healthcare workers across 14 hospitals in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, split into three groups: those wearing medical-grade masks, those wearing cloth masks and a control group based on usual practice, which included mask wearing. Workers used the mask on every shift for four consecutive weeks.
The study found respiratory infection was much higher among healthcare workers wearing cloth masks, according to Science Daily. Of those employees,
The penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% compared to medical masks with 44%.
DOCTORS RECOMMEND FDA APPROVED FACE MASKS
Global use of medical-grade FDA and CE approved face masks are instead 100% and only highly-recommended for every day and long shift hours for staff.
“[Medical-grade] masks are worn to protect from infection during pandemics and outbreaks, especially when there are no drugs or vaccines available for protection,” said Professor MacIntyre. [Medical-grade] face masks are especially important…as their protection from infection is key to maintaining the ability to tackle a pandemic effectively.”
Cloth masks remain widely used globally because they are a cheaper option especially in areas where there are shortages of protective equipment, including in Asian countries, which have historically been affected by emerging infectious diseases, as well as in West Africa, which was the epicentre of the recent Ebola epidemic.
The authors speculate that the cloth masks’ moisture retention, reuse despite behind washed, and poor filtration may explain the increased risk of infection.
