Types of Masks and Their Effectiveness

In today’s article, we’ll go over different types of masks used in protection against COVID-19. These masks may sound familiar and you might already have a general understanding of them, but we’ll be delving deeper into their individual aspects, go over the general usage of these masks, and rank them based on effectiveness.

Let’s start off with one you’ve probably seen multiple times! A surgical mask.

Surgical masks are thin, disposable masks that prevent you from spreading respiratory particles and droplets into the air, as well as protect you from any droplets/germs from the outside. A surgical mask is essentially made up of 3 main layers. 2 layers of waterproof spunbond fabric which help to filter out particles and droplets and absorb vapor. And in between those two layers, a meltblown fabric. These layers of fabric do a great job of absorbing moisture and water droplets, but cannot block out smaller particles in the air that may be harmful.

Surgical masks are recommended to only be worn once, but can be worn up to three times depending on the circumstances. Overall, these masks are okay to use sometimes, but if you want to stay safe in the long run, it would be better to invest in a proper cotton mask.

Next is the fabric mask, aka the masks we make at OMOLOW!

A cloth mask is a reusable mask made of fabric that traps droplets from the outside and from the wearer. Overall they perform the same use as surgical masks, reducing the amount of droplets released into the air, but are far more effective. The CDC and the FDA suggest that cloth masks filter almost 23% of droplets than your basic surgical mask. Cloth masks are also unique for their washable qualities and can be reused multiple times. These masks are recommended for civilian use since they do just enough to protect you in public places.

Here at OMOLOW, we make masks using 100% cotton fabric along with adjustable nose pieces (to make sure the mask fits snug on the face). We’ve recently made 330 masks and hope to make 600 masks by May 2021! Check out our “How to Help” tab if you would like to join our team or support us in any way! Now back to the article!

Lastly we have the most important type mask, the N95 Mask!

N95 masks are thick durable masks and the most effective to protect yourself from the virus, however they are recommended to be reserved for frontline workers. N95 masks have 4 thick layers. According to the FDA, it consists of an outer layer of spun-bond polypropylene, a second layer of cellulose/polyester, a third layer of melt-blown polypropylene filter material and an inner (fourth) layer of spun-bound polypropylene. Though these layers perform different mechanisms, in the end they all help to inactivate influenza viruses.

As per our research, the tier of safety goes as follows: Surgical mask, fabric mask, and N95 masks. For us, the general public, fabric masks are recommended. If that’s not possible, at least a surgical mask is needed. N95 masks are ideally reserved for frontline workers as they have more direct confrontations with COVID, and should not be used by civilians.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned something! Here’s your daily reminder to wear a mask when going outside, maintain social distancing, take care of other such precautions, and stay aware during these times.

Check out an infographic version of this article on our Instagram at one_mask_one_life_one_world and don’t forget to give us a follow for more content!

Take care!

Infographic/Research by: Aashvi Gupta

Written by: Ishita Baghel