There is a lot of talk about the masks and other items used to protect yourself from infection from viruses including the Coronavirus Outbreak that is happening in China and other parts of the world right now.
Because I am a professionally trained Automotive Painter who used these products professionally and I also have Certificates in Chemistry and Engineering I believe I can provide you the basics of personal care.
As someone that has worked with many of the products that are being used I would like to take some time to relate what I have learned over many years of actual use of these products but I will do so with references that you can use to evaluate more specific facts about the prevention of viruses and personal protection in general.
VERY IMPORTANT DO NOT TAKE MY WORD OR ANY INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE AS THE FINAL WORD IN HOW YOU SHOULD PROTECT YOURSELF. INFORMATION THAT IS AVAILABLE TO PROFESSIONALS IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY IS ALSO NOW AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH MANUFACTURERS, THE US GOVERNMENT CDC AND OTHER RESOURCES. THESE ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS SHOULD ALWAYS OVERRIDE ANY INFORMATION FOUND HERE AND SHOULD BE YOUR PRIMARY SOURCE FOR INFORMATION. THE INFORMATION FOUND HERE IS ONLY A BENEFIT BECAUSE IT IS FURTHER DISCUSSION OF A PROBLEM BUT IT IS NOT TO BE USED AS LIFESAVING OR MEDICAL INFORMATION ON ITS OWN.
Masks and Protection Equipment in Dangerous Environments
The first thing that I can offer is no matter what products you purchase the use of these products must follow strict manufacturer and healthcare guidelines.
If you buy a mask that leaks because you are using it improperly then it can be the most expensive mask in the world but the leak means you have completely disabled its effectiveness.
For this reason if you are a male with facial hair you will have to be clean shaven for your equipment to work. If you have facial piercings in your nose, cheeks, lips or other places where air can leak you need to get a doctor’s advice about what you can do about this.
If the mask is not rated for protecting you from a specific contaminant the its use will be near worthless.
At this point 3M a very trustworthy company that designs many of these products is informing the public that N95 Rated Masks are able to protect people from the Coronavirus. They are also stating that N95 Masks that are not specifically designed for Surgery but are N95 Rated are also able to protect the wearer from this and other viruses. This means that as a consumer you have many more choices if you are not already infected. You can use N95 Masks that are normally sold for Construction and Painting and have the same level of protection as a Surgical Mask. The difference between the Surgical Version and the Construction Grade Version is that Surgical Masks do not have a Exhale Valve because it is important to keep the surgical room free of contaminants including those that might come from a nurse or doctor’s exhaling. If your primary concern is to protect yourself a N95 Mask with a Valve could be used for Personal Protection with the same level of effectiveness but if you are infected you should wear a Surgical Mask that won’t allow the spread from you to others.
SEE THIS 3M DOCUMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION
or contact
3M Personal Safety Division’s Technical Helpline, 1-800-243-4630
Are N95 Masks The Strongest Masks For CoronaVirus Protection Available?
At this point for personal portable protection the N95 Grade of Masks have been rated sufficient to protect you from infection however they are not the only solution and they may not be right under all circumstances.
As covered above the surgical grade N95 Mask should be worn by healthcare workers or people that are infected to prevent spread of the virus or contamination of surgical operating rooms.
Other masks such as the N100 or P100 Grade masks are available but are much more expensive. You can expect to spend 10x under normal conditions for a N100 Mask than you would for a N95 Mask but if what you are doing requires a N100 Mask a N95 Mask won’t be sufficient.
Example: You have a 3 rail wood fence in your backyard it might stop a horse from entering your property. It will not stop the neighbors dog. So you upgrade your fence with a metal wire fence and now you can stop horses and a neighbor’s dog. However leafs from your neighbor’s yard can still pass through your fence so you upgrade again to a wood slat fence. Now you can stop horses, dogs and leafs from entering your property but you can not stop the smoke from your neighbor’s BBQ. So you upgrade again and place a large plastic bubble over your entire property and now you can stop Horses, Dogs, Leafs and Smoke.
When you evaluate the effectiveness of particulate protection this is the basic premise behind it however viruses offer another level of danger when you are trying to protect yourself.
If you only need to stop horses than all of the other products will work but they are not necessary. As you move up in the level of protection the costs will rise by many times. If price becomes an issue then you may not throw away a dirty mask when you should or you might reuse it and this will void all protection.
If you are a doctor that evaluates or cares for many patients that are in a quarantine ward of a hospital the use of dozens of masks throughout the day may not be sufficient. Additionally every time you change the mask you open yourself up to risk. For this reason you might need to step up to a forced air respirator that will provide you filtered air through a hose. It might be a mask like a fireman wears or it might be a full hood that covers your entire head and works together with a jump suit that is sealed for your protection as to not let air in from anyplace but the forced air hose attachment.
If you are able to use a mask under general conditions it is important to change your mask throughout the day. You will want to do this in an area that provides a clean enviroment and you will want to use clean hands or new gloves when changing your mask if you expect contamination. The old mask should be discarded properly as to not be a danger to others or yourself.
You will need to disinfect your work areas on a regular defined basis or whenever you expect or suspect contamination. Disinfecting with bleach or alcohol requires specific steps. The disinfectant must be kept moist for an extended period to be able to work long enough to kill any contaminants. If you do not do this then the disinfectant procedure is worthless. (we will not be covering proper disinfectant procedures here and you can get this information from the US Gov CDC Website.)
You would never open a new mask and lay it down on an unknown dirty surface. You would place a sterile towel or other recommended surface protector on a table and then use that for your workspace.
Final Note
As you have read above we have only touched on the basics of protecting yourself from the CoronaVirus or any other virus or dangerous situation.
The important things for you to gather from this How To are:
Only take advice from known professional resources such as the CDC or the Manufacturer of Protection Devices like Masks, Gloves or other items like Disinfectant Products.
Fully understand your options in protection. What might be appropriate for someone who only expects light possible interaction with carriers may not be appropriate for someone who is caring for known sick people or for people that are infected that want to stop spread to others.
Most important is that you understand that you must follow Manufacturer’s and Scientific Information completely. I have seen many persons ignore the warnings for facial hair and they become sick from automotive paint because of air leaks around their mask but they feel they can do whatever they want and that some protection is better than none.
In a case of transmission of a virus you can not have that mentality. You must follow procedures exactly and you must obtain the correct procedures that are proven to work from a known trustworthy source.
Again here we are only discussing the basics and this information should not be used in a instructional way other than that we are instructing you to use the best information from other sources such as the CDC or 3M or your doctor.