I’m often mischaracterized as saying masks don’t work. That couldn’t be further from the truth. If you are masking your identity, scaring people on Halloween, attending a masquerade ball, in contact with dangerous particulates that are wider than the holes in the mask such as sawdust, paints, dusts, some bacteria, large drops of spit, blood splatter, spraying chemicals in heavy mist, you are pretty well off with just about any mask. Although, with some chemicals it may behoove you to get a better mask or air tight mask and an oxygen tank.
However, when it comes to a respiratory virus, you aren’t protected unless you are wearing a full body protective suit and an oxygen tank. Your other recourse is to weigh out the threat of said virus and decide if your immune system can handle it. If your immune system can handle it, then the average mask, even N95 mask is essentially useless for respiratory viruses for common people. You are better off making your body and your immune system ready to handle said virus effectively. My last blog gave some hints that may help you do that.
But let’s get back to why masks are important right now.
Right now we are facing forest fires and air pollution at levels unheard of. Droughts and increased manufacturing (to catch up after the long term economic harm of clearly unnecessary government shutdowns) have put a lot more garbage in the air we breathe. So for these reasons, use your eyes to look around and assess the risk of poor air quality. If you can see it sitting in the air or blocking your view or making the sunlight look brown or orange or even gold, it’s thick enough that your mask will filter it when you inhale.
I also suggest using your eyes because often, regions with heavy industry have standards reduced by those industries and you can not always trust what your local air quality regional sensors are telling you. For example, on a day in Salt Lake and surrounding counties in Northern Utah when we may not be able to see the mountains from winds swirling up pollution from the local copper mines (who run the county) the air quality can be registered as green which is supposed to be the safest. Meanwhile both young children and the elderly can be at considerable risk of health issues on those days where breathing is encumbered by heavy metals and other pollutants in the air. Really, it’s not healthy for anybody.
On those days of high pollution and smoke from forest fires, if you know what’s good for you, you should wear a mask. This is especially relevant when you are outside regardless if anyone else is around you. If you are wearing a mask, exercise caution when doing any strenuous activity as your oxygen in ANY mask will be restricted. Also, be conscience of how long you are wearing a mask as these reduce your ability to take in oxygen and as we learned this past year, can increase your chances of breathing in bacteria and contaminants naturally expelled through exhalation. These stick to the inside of your mask.
On heavy pollution days, spend more time indoors. Have a quality air purifier for your home, gym and office. Wait for the next clear day to get outside and take in that vitamin D!
Alright, that about covers this topic.
Use masks responsibly and only as indicated.