Reusable face masks - UK

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11th October 2021, 14:24
skmark

Reusable face masks - UK

Clearly, the use of face masks looks like it will be with us for some time.

For the last 18 months or so I've been using a mix of disposable medical grade masks and a couple of washable ones. I generally find the disposable ones much nicer to wear and breath through and seem to fit better too. However, the very idea of them does not sit easily with my views on sustainability.

So as we always seem to have the answer to every possible purchase question on here.......what would anyone recommend by way of good reusable/washable face masks. Anyone who suggested flip flops in the slippers thread need not respond ;o)
11th October 2021, 14:32
Seamaster73

Quote:

Originally Posted by skmark

Clearly, the use of face masks looks like it will be with us for some time.

Speak for yourself.
11th October 2021, 14:34
aa388

Quote:

Originally Posted by skmark

Clearly, the use of face masks looks like it will be with us for some time.

For the last 18 months or so I've been using a mix of disposable medical grade masks and a couple of washable ones. I generally find the disposable ones much nicer to wear and breath through and seem to fit better too. However, the very idea of them does not sit easily with my views on sustainability.

So as we always seem to have the answer to every possible purchase question on here.......what would anyone recommend by way of good reusable/washable face masks. Anyone who suggested flip flops in the slippers thread need not respond ;o)

My personal view is fairly simple, if your going to wear the same mask more than once why bother wearing one at all. I wear disposables all the time and have a burn bag and lots of anti bac with me wherever I go.

My view may be skewed though having lived with a covid nurse that was off for 4 months when she caught it at work.

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
11th October 2021, 14:42
M4tt

Make your own.

https://i.postimg.cc/KcWx5GLf/mask.jpg
11th October 2021, 15:03
Kingstepper

Quote:

Originally Posted by aa388

My personal view is fairly simple, if your going to wear the same mask more than once why bother wearing one at all. I wear disposables all the time and have a burn bag and lots of anti bac with me wherever I go.

My view may be skewed though having lived with a covid nurse that was off for 4 months when she caught it at work.

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

Why number of times worn important?
11th October 2021, 15:17
aa388

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Why number of times worn important?

From what I was told by her care team, covid Is transferred by vapour so a mask could become contaminated at any time inside or out so if you put it on and bag it after use any contamination stays in one place, if you multi use it any contamination can be on your hand, pocket, handbag or car air vents, any place you store or hang the mask before putting it back on your face. It’s the transfer of contamination that was drummed into me.

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
11th October 2021, 15:30
Ares

https://www.omniprotect.co.uk/
11th October 2021, 15:53
Kingstepper

Quote:

Originally Posted by aa388

From what I was told by her care team, covid Is transferred by vapour so a mask could become contaminated at any time inside or out so if you put it on and bag it after use any contamination stays in one place, if you multi use it any contamination can be on your hand, pocket, handbag or car air vents, any place you store or hang the mask before putting it back on your face. It’s the transfer of contamination that was drummed into me.

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

Okay, though I'm always careful to clean hands before taking off and probably hang for at least a day (in house) to allow any virus to degrade before re-wearing.
11th October 2021, 17:23
Kirk280

I’d be asking serious questions about any masks / face coverings that promise to ‘kill’ viruses. What is the science behind it? What ‘real-world’ testing can be evidenced?

I use disposable masks, make sure they fit as well as can be, and ensure I take them off carefully.
11th October 2021, 19:24
Dave O'Sullivan

To my mind, if there was a decent, reusable alternative, then surgeons would be wearing them.
We go through boxes of them at work, gloves too. Pre Covid, I’d change my gloves maybe twice a day, now it’s more like 20. If you want to justify it, I guess on balance the world is a greener place with all the working from home etc.
11th October 2021, 20:00
Kaffe

Oh dear. I've been using the same disposable mask for months. Just as well I don't meet many people. It is starting to get a bit smelly so I suppose I should change it.
11th October 2021, 20:47
M4tt

There's a fair bit of expertise here so I am seriously asking for anyone to point me at any unambivalent examples of fomite transmission at all anywhere throughout this pandemic.

Because I can provide a shit-load that suggest that it's incredibly hard to catch covid from any surface.

For example:

https://academic.oup.com/milmed/arti...8/e832/6040078

I have used two masks in daily rotation (leaving one on the dash board and cleaning both at the end of the week) throughout the pandemic and supported by a decent ioniser in every room I teach in. I made an explicit choice to stop wearing a mask and turn off the ioniser - as mentioned here - and caught it inside three weeks. I don't think that is a coincidence. I stopped washing and sterilising my hands more than normal nine months ago.
11th October 2021, 20:48
M4tt

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaffe

Oh dear. I've been using the same disposable mask for months. Just as well I don't meet many people. It is starting to get a bit smelly so I suppose I should change it.

You should. There are some really nasty moulds that could spoil your day...
11th October 2021, 21:57
Kirk280

Quote:

Originally Posted by M4tt

You should. There are some really nasty moulds that could spoil your day...

I agree that formites are unlikely to be the main route of SARS-Cov-2 viral transmission, but I keep changing my masks for reasons such as the one you’ve highlighted here!
11th October 2021, 22:30
Ares

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk280

I’d be asking serious questions about any masks / face coverings that promise to ‘kill’ viruses. What is the science behind it? What ‘real-world’ testing can be evidenced?
.

HeiQ’s Viroblock technology has been scientifically proven to effectively destroy a large number of viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia; 2020).

It also offers proven antibacterial properties against: Candida Albicans, Staphylococcus Aureus, Mycobacterium Terrae and proven antiviral properties against: Sendai Virus, H3N2 Human Influenza A, H1N1 Human Influenza A, H5N1 Avian Influenza A, Human Coronavirus 229E, H7N9 Influenza A (2013), Respiratory Syncytial Virus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

For furtheR reading - https://heiq.com/products/functional...eiq-viroblock/
11th October 2021, 23:33
M4tt

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ares

HeiQ’s Viroblock technology has been scientifically proven to effectively destroy a large number of viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia; 2020).

It also offers proven antibacterial properties against: Candida Albicans, Staphylococcus Aureus, Mycobacterium Terrae and proven antiviral properties against: Sendai Virus, H3N2 Human Influenza A, H1N1 Human Influenza A, H5N1 Avian Influenza A, Human Coronavirus 229E, H7N9 Influenza A (2013), Respiratory Syncytial Virus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

For furtheR reading - https://heiq.com/products/functional...eiq-viroblock/

Oddly, I cannot find the first paper. It's not Harvard standard, but I really should be able to find it. Nor can I find an M.J on the Doherty staff:

https://www.doherty.edu.au/people/P240

(1) M.J. (2020) Report on “Viral Stability and Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on Treated Material”. Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Australia

It's hard to evaluate the claims when the linked papers either are not to be found or are not Sars. Perhaps more to the point, there are concerns about the long term toxicity of silver nanoparticles. There are plenty of papers on this. For example:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7177798/

The fact is that we now know that the virus has a very short period of viability on any dry surface. As such it just isn't necessary to kill it, just to stop it getting into the airways in an aerosol or droplet form. This is an example of 'It doesn't go black in the can' - sure, virus left on it becomes inactive, but virus left on any dry surface becomes inactive. Maybe it's quicker on this surface, but the onus is on them to prove it and this:

https://heiq.com/products/functional...eiq-viroblock/

doesn't look like proof to me. It looks like smoke and mirrors.
12th October 2021, 07:30
Kirk280

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ares

HeiQ’s Viroblock technology has been scientifically proven to effectively destroy a large number of viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia; 2020).

It also offers proven antibacterial properties against: Candida Albicans, Staphylococcus Aureus, Mycobacterium Terrae and proven antiviral properties against: Sendai Virus, H3N2 Human Influenza A, H1N1 Human Influenza A, H5N1 Avian Influenza A, Human Coronavirus 229E, H7N9 Influenza A (2013), Respiratory Syncytial Virus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

For furtheR reading - https://heiq.com/products/functional...eiq-viroblock/

Do you have any connections with this company and / or their product?

I can’t find their scientific publications - the references don’t seem to be in a usual format - are there links to the original, peer-reviewed publications?
12th October 2021, 08:21
Raffe

ScIeNtIfIcAlLy pRoVeN, also known as the 'Youtube university'.
12th October 2021, 08:34
Spy

Which? tested reusable face masks. Results here: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/face...s-awLeA3A6XoZD
12th October 2021, 18:56
Mr Curta

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spy

Which? tested reusable face masks. Results here: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/face...s-awLeA3A6XoZD

I have a few of those Bags of Ethics ones, comfortable and effective but the nose wire does snap in the middle after a while.