Medical face masks

[superal]

Do you think that these medical face masks used by so many Thai folk are actually  of any benefit ? For certain they will not stop any airborne germs because of the loose fit and at the most may stop some dust , or is that why they are worn ?  Having said that I have seen them being worn in clean environments . From my experience within the petro/chem industry a mask to stop microbes is a sturdy piece of kit and one to stop fumes is a sealed fit and air intake through a specialized cartridge filter and the wearer should be clean shaven  .  Even a basic industrial paper mask would have an aluminium tag to squeeze round the bridge of you nose , two tight elastic bands to go to the back of your head and ears with a rubber intake valve in front of you mouth . 

      Who ever started this craze must be making some money   

[bheard]

It's a fashion thing. Much like fake teeth braces. One is as useful as the other . . .

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[superal]

16 hours ago, bheard said:

It's a fashion thing. Much like fake teeth braces. One is as useful as the other . . .

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Really ? you sure as could be an asset for ugly people ?

[scoutman360]

I agree with your logic, but I also think it is good in a small way, because it means people are thinking and considerate about germs. I am SURE there is some benefit, even if not 100%. Regardless, I would rather have a culture that is trying to protect others from infection than a culture that prefers personal comfort and spreads it around. I have met many here that always want to cuddle up to me when they are the most sick. Sorry, not today.

[Air Smiles]

It's essentially an air filter, they make a big difference in heavily polluted areas like lower sukhumvit or for eg in thai hospitals where you're liable to pick up a super flu or two.

[jackdd]

My gf wears such a mask if she is too lazy to put on makeup

[FritsSikkink]

When people are sick they use them to not spread germs.

[irwinfc]

think more positively. there are 2 main reasons people wear it: 1) prevent themselves from getting sick and 2) prevent spreading what they already have. if you're not convinced it works, maybe you can ask a physician why they wear masks during consultations. let's pretend they're just clueless sheep following a sort of fashion statement, consider someone sneezing at you inside a crowded BTS train. would you rather that person don't cover up his/her nose? cover up his/her nose with a hand and touch the bars and handles? or sneeze with a seemingly worthless mask on?

[DGS1244]

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

When people are sick they use them to not spread germs.

Very true, they do nothing to stop particles entering the mouth, for that you need a HEPA type filter system. That is why surgeons wear them in a very clean environment. Protect the patient.

[jobsworth]

wearing a face mask makes it more difficult for an ngo to recognize a targeted individual.

 

[hansnl]

On 1/3/2018 at 4:23 PM, bheard said:

It's a fashion thing. Much like fake teeth braces. One is as useful as the other . . .

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Or one is used to cover the other....

[Cyclone88]

Wife wears one when doing the house work. She has a dust allergy. 

If she forgets to wear it she will sneeze continuously and eyes water.

[iang]

Helps protect others against the wearers bad breath! 

[atyclb]

6 hours ago, jackdd said:

My gf wears such a mask if she is too lazy to put on makeup

 

why not just roll her on her belly and turn the light off?

[themerg]

Better than nothing with Thai air pollution.

[ronaldo0]

Worn after cosmetic work , when sick to stop others catching cold etc and to keep the sun of their face so they don't become very tanned.

[balo]

I wear them all the time when I'm sick , if I have to visit hospitals or public places with large crowds of people. Also if there is a lot of air pollution . It might look stupid to you but I feel comfortable behind the mask.

[brommers]

The cheap masks are totally compromised within a couple of minutes use because they are simply not capable of trapping anything as small as a virus or a bacterium, so in effect they protect no one. But if it makes you feel good it is harming no one. Delusion can be pleasurable I suppose.

[Bangkok Barry]

13 hours ago, Air Smiles said:

It's essentially an air filter, they make a big difference in heavily polluted areas like lower sukhumvit or for eg in thai hospitals where you're liable to pick up a super flu or two.

As my wife and I did in Kalasin a few weeks ago. Knocked us both out for a couple of days and made us live 'dog-style', sleeping 20 hours a day  

 

I wonder if I'll be prosecuted for saying where it happened 

[Air Smiles]

1 minute ago, Bangkok Barry said:

As my wife and I did in Kalasin a few weeks ago. Knocked us both out for a couple of days and made us live 'dog-style', sleeping 20 hours a day  

 

I wonder if I'll be prosecuted for saying where it happened 

I learned my lesson after the first two times, not been infected again since wearing mask....

 

 

[Air Smiles]

2 hours ago, DGS1244 said:

5 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

When people are sick they use them to not spread germs.

Very true, they do nothing to stop particles entering the mouth, for that you need a HEPA type filter system. That is why surgeons wear them in a very clean environment. Protect the patient.

Can you explain in scientific terms how a face mask can stop particles from leaving the mouth but "do nothing to stop particles entering the mouth"?

------

 

 

Quote

International Journal of Infectious Diseases concluded that when used correctly, masks are highly effective in preventing the spread of viral infections. Family members of children with flu-like illnesses who used the masks properly were 80 percent less likely to be diagnosed with the illness. Surprisingly, the difference between types of masks used was insignificant.

 

http://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(08)01008-4/fulltext

 

http://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/744899/facemasks-hand-hygiene-prevent-influenza-transmission-households-cluster-randomized-trial

 

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0029744

Edited January 8, 2018 by Air Smiles

[Searat7]

I wear one because I live in Silom where the pollution is very bad due to heavy traffic except on Sunday. If I don’t wear the mask I get bad sinus headaches. The carbon mask (which is gray) sold at Watson’s is better than the green masks most people use. It does the job.

[NoshowJones]

On 04/01/2018 at 8:34 AM, superal said:

Really ? you sure as could be an asset for ugly people ?

No, ugly people usually grow facial hair.

[tryasimight]

All they do is stop people picking their noses in public.

Apart from that - practically useless for normal healthy people regardless what some posters claim. Possibly some benefit if you are old, infirm or have a compromised immune system.

 

The wife will wear one sometimes - I often have a look at it afterwards - absolutely no signs of dust or dirt entrapment visible i.e. it is doing nothing as there is no positive seal onto the face..

 

The typical mask you see is to keep YOUR germs from entering the atmosphere, not the other way around.

 

To exclude particulate matter you will need to use a P3 rated mask as a minimum. I've never seen anyone wearing one except in an industrial situation.

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2018 by tryasimight

[Air Smiles]

5 minutes ago, tryasimight said:

All they do is stop people picking their noses in public.

Apart from that - practically useless for normal healthy people regardless what some posters claim. Possibly some benefit if you are old, infirm or have a compromised immune system.

 

The wife will wear one sometimes - I often have a look at it afterwards - absolutely no signs of dust or dirt entrapment visible i.e. it is doing nothing.

 

The typical mask you see is to keep YOUR germs from entering the atmosphere, not the other way around.

 

So the scientific studies saying that a bog standard face mask has an 80% success rate in stopping air borne virus have got it wrong?

 

Maybe you can answer the question I asked earlier, can you explain your proposition in scientific terms how a face mask can stop particles from leaving the mouth but do nothing to stop particles entering the mouth?

Edited January 8, 2018 by Air Smiles

[tryasimight]

1 minute ago, Air Smiles said:

 

So the scientific studies saying that a bog standard face mask has an 80% success rate in stopping air borne virus have got it wrong?

 

Maybe you can answer the question I asked earlier, can you explain in scientific terms how a face mask can stop particles from leaving the mouth but do nothing to stop particles entering the mouth?

Try googling for the scientific answer. I have no desire to do that for you as I have no interest in the useless face masks.

The only time I like to see them used is by a doctor/surgeon/nurse.

 

If it works for you - go for it.

 

From what I understand breathing out into the mask creates a trap for whatever as it is at slightly higher pressure than ambient - there will still be some leakage no doubt. Breathing in creates a pressure drop and the air will seek the easiest path - and leak in via the poor to non existent seal on the face of the wearer.

 

80% sounds like it is basically useless. If it was a braking system on a car that stopped the car 80% of the time, most drivers would have been dead long ago - perhaps Thai brakes are based on this as, by all reports, they seem to work only 80% of the time apparently.

[Air Smiles]

15 minutes ago, tryasimight said:

Try googling for the scientific answer.

I already gave you the scientific answer in post #21 ...maybe try reading the thread before spouting nonsense.
 

15 minutes ago, tryasimight said:

80% sounds like it is basically useless. If it was a braking system on a car that stopped the car 80% of the time, most drivers would have been dead long ago - perhaps Thai brakes are based on this as, by all reports, they seem to work only 80% of the time apparently.

80% success rate in stopping airborne virus is useless? 

 

To follow your logic, if I had a system for winning the lottery 80% of the time, that would basically be a useless system?

Edited January 8, 2018 by Air Smiles

[tryasimight]

3 minutes ago, Air Smiles said:

I already gave you the scientific answer in post #21 ...maybe try reading the thread before spouting nonsense.
 

80% success rate in stopping airborne virus is useless? 

 

To follow your logic, if I had a system for winning the lottery 80% of the time, that would basically be a useless system?

You clearly asked for a scientific answer in response to my post. Read what you wrote before needlessly attacking another forum member. I rarely read links from posters too lazy to enunciate their own answers and you links were treated in the same manner. The only links I ever open are on subject matter that I have an interest in. Face masks I do not.

 

It appears logic is not your area of expertise. The 20% of virii not captured by the mask may in fact kill you. Slightly different to losing a few bahton a lottery ticket.

 

As I stated - if you think these masks work for you - go for it. I care not one iota either way.

[superal]

I started this post as I have worked in industrial environments where the wearing of various types of mask was mandatory for certain conditions . The very basic mask is normally a disposable one with a double band that stretch to the back of your head , top and lower to the ear . Over the bridge of the nose is an aluminium strip that is squeezed to form over the nose to create a tight fit . Breathing in is by way of a one way rubber valve  situated in front of the mouth . It will not be full proof but is a good defense against dust particles . When the mask shows signs of soiling it is discarded and a new one fitted . If we talk about bacteria or gases that is a different type of mask completely and comes with a cartridge mounted in a housing within the mask and  near the mouth . They have a very limited lifespan if subjected to real use and I believe the cartridge once opened must be discarded .Various grades of cartridge for different applications and the wearer should be clean shaven. So when I see the Thais wearing this cheap open sided mask I ask why as there can be no benefit . Or is it a fashion statement ?  

[1FinickyOne]

The masseuses at the local temple massage wear them all the time... I assumed it was to protect me from the garlic or bpla la or nam prik breath that they might have after lunch... fine with me.