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CATER Mask
Decisions
Eliminate COVID Now with Tight Fitting,
Efficient Masks
Details on Mask Options are Available from Fix
the Mask
Essential Mask Brace is Effective and
Inexpensive
High-Filtration (Hi-Fi) Masks Identified by
Patient Knowhow
Off-the-shelf Hi-Fi Masks Listed by Fit the Mask
Combining the Essential Brace with Acteev Anti-microbials
_______________________________________________________________________
Eliminate COVID Now with Tight Fitting,
Efficient Masks
A tight
fitting efficient mask initiative should be
given the highest priority because
·
The pandemic ends immediately with everyone
wearing tight fitting efficient masks
·
These masks are available
·
The cost is nominal
Everyone can be wearing highly efficient masks
within weeks. This includes commercial designs
plus DIY braces for medical masks. These DIY
accessories e.g. three rubber bands can be
eliminated over time as commercial options are
amply available.
Here are the important facts and considerations
·
When transmitter and recipient wear masks with a
Fitted Filter Efficiency (FFE) of 90%, the
combined efficiency is 99% and only 1% of the
virus could be inhaled. Virus inhalation risk is
70 times less than with poor fitting cloth masks
and 20 times less than with loose fitting
medical masks.
·
FFE 90 masks are the equivalent of a 99%
lockdown.
·
COVID is transmitted in small aerosols. If the
emitter is wearing a FFE 90 mask the load
falling on surfaces is reduced by 90% making
surface transmission even more unlikely.
·
With FFE 90 masks we return to normal activity
and the pandemic ends.
Fast Track FFE 90 Program Objectives
·
Immediately change every general mask mandate to
specify efficiency. A nonspecific mandate is the
equivalent of saying every football player
should wear head covering.
·
Create Safe Bubbles which can only be accessed
by FFE 90 wearers.
·
Require Safe Bubble operators to insure each
entrant is properly wearing his FFE 90 mask.
·
Do not wait for proactive government
initiatives. Let the Safe Bubble operators
(Schools, Fitness Centers, Churches, Malls,
etc.) lead the way.
·
Encourage Comfortable Attractive, Tight Fitting,
Reusable
(CATER) masks suppliers to increase
production rapidly.
·
Guide those who cannot afford or acquire CATER
masks to properly wear medical masks with a
brace which insures a tight fit.
Fast Track FFE 90 Program Elements
·
Build on initiatives such as the
ASTM 20/50 and EU equivalent
·
Utilize the free CATER Mask Decisions
(CMD)
to provide a forum for those with
important information to convey
·
Quantitative, Qualitative, and Cursory Fit
testing needs to be expanded. This can be
evolutional and should not delay implementation.
·
The benefits of creating Safe Bubbles should be
explained to every major building or
transportation operator.
·
Programs can be implemented with the help of
associations such as ones representing fitness
centers, high schools, churches etc.
·
Governments can be a guiding force but we should
not wait until they can be fully vested.
The mask should be viewed as a medical device
but with the added burden of being an acceptable
article of clothing. Those who can afford CATER
masks will want them. The DIY brace is
equivalent of using a shirt as a tourniquet on
the battlefield.
It is not ideal but it will save lives.
The FFE 90 Mask initiative will be discussed in
an open forum on January 21 at 10:AM central
standard time.
Data will be displayed which is on the
CDM site.
If you have a contribution which should
be considered, it can be added in one of the
Daily Alerts prior to the forum.
You can register through the CATER Mask
Decisions Website
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/CATER/subscriber/default.htm
For more information contact Bob McIlvaine at
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
Devabhaktuni Srikrishna is the founder of Patient Knowhow https://www.patientknowhow.com/about/#research is global health. Using the Patient Knowhow platform, researchers and doctors from around the world are discovering the best patient education on YouTube and related research on PubMed. Patient Knowhow aims to uncover the most reliable and easy-to-use information about disease prevention, transmission, causes, and treatment.
Devabhaktuni has collaborated with Sabrina
Paseman who has a website and initiative titled
Fix the Mask
https://www.fixthemask.com/
It is devoted to the subject of improving
surgical mask efficiency by use of a brace. A
$15 Essential Brace is available although the
website also shows a DIY design where only a
rubber sheet and scissors are needed.
Extensive quantitative testing has shown that a
surgical mask with a brace can equal an N95
mask. An N95 mask can achieve a 98% fitted
filter efficiency. Billions of surgical masks
are being produced. If the wearers also used the
reusable brace they
could
average 90% FFE. So 10% emission from the
transmitter and 90% removal by the recipient
means that he inhales only 1% of the virus. This
99% virus reduction is more protection than
vaccines and would allow quick return to normal
activity.
McIlvaine has a forecast showing that a
combination of mask types can provide the
necessary protection. In the second quarter
there would be a need for 9 billion surgical
masks (Upgraded Disposable). Three billion
braces would be needed.
CATER mask production should accelerate to a
production rate of over 2 billion per quarter by
the end of 2022.
The Essential Mask Brace was designed using the
3D printed heads from the NIOSH
Anthropometric Data.
It was then tested on human subjects, following
the OSHA-standard
ambient aerosol condensation nuclei counter
(CNC) quantitative fit testing protocol.
A number of these tests are displayed on the
website and demonstrate the considerable effort
which has been made to prove the brace’s value.
The group is also currently also collecting data
with the Bitrex (Denatonium Benzoate) Solution
Aerosol Qualitative Fit Test Protocol. So far It
has had 32 individuals pass.
Find their latest dataset comparing different
masks here.
Breathability
The level of breathability of N95 respirators is
measured by inhalation resistance and exhalation
resistance. The group tested a few different
types of masks using the NIOSH test protocol,
and found the following results.
The brace is needed in surgical masks because
they do not have a fit layer. N95s have an extra
layer to provide the tight fit.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRdTsH6l6zs 10:03, https://www.nap.edu/read/11637/chapter/4#23
The Fix the Mask Group has compared the
performance of various commercially available
masks.
The consumable available masks can be researched
as follows:
Herogard: discontinued
Zubrex: https://www.amazon.com/ZUBREX-Disposable-Safety-Face-Protection/dp/B088BY7YPX
Safe Warrior: https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/safe-warrior-disposable-face-mask/ID=300401401-product
Costco (BYD): https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/byd-general-purpose-face-mask%2C-single-use%2C-one-size%2C-50-ct.product.100378349.html
Outdoor Research: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/face-mask-kit-283298
Healthcare-available Masks
DuPont: https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/sierra-proced-mask-w-earloop/19088879
Methods Subjects wearing a basic surgical facemask and the rubber band mask brace underwent quantitative fit testing using machinery designed to certify N95 mask fit. Subjects were tested with the brace anchored behind their eyes, with a paperclip behind the head, and on the side knobs of their face shields. The primary outcome measure was whether the subject passed the quantitative fit test at or above the OSHA verified standard for N95 masks. Results Subjects (n=11) were 54.5% female, with a median height of 70 inches (IQR 68-74), weight of 170 lbs (IQR 145-215) and BMI of 24.6 (IQR 22.2-27.2) and encompassing 5 distinct N95 mask fit types. We found that 45%, 100% and 100% of subjects passed the quantitative fit test when the brace was anchored behind the ears, with a paperclip and on a face shield, respectively.
Conclusion Of
the 11 subjects included in the analysis, across
a range of body habitus and N95 mask fit types,
all passed the quantitative fit test when the
mask brace was anchored on either face shield or
with a paperclip. This data suggests the brace
would offer an improved margin of safety when
worn with a basic surgical mask.
A June study suggests that an entire population
wearing masks of just 75% effectiveness can
bring a very high ‘R’ number of 4.0 all the way
down to under 1.0, even without aid of
lockdowns.
The researchers call for information campaigns
across wealthy and developing nations alike that
appeal to our altruistic side: 'my facemask
protects you, your facemask protects me'. The
findings are published in the Proceedings
of the Royal Society A.
“Our analyses support the immediate and
universal adoption of facemasks by the public,”
said lead author Dr Richard Stutt, part of a
team that usually models the spread of crop
diseases at Cambridge’s Department of Plant
Sciences.
Dr Renata Retkute, coauthor and Cambridge team
member, said: “The UK government can help by
issuing clear instructions on how to make and
safely use homemade masks.”
Cambridge researchers worked to link the
dynamics of spread between individuals with
population-level models, assessing varying
degrees of facemask adoption combined with
periods of lockdown.
The modelling included the different stages of
infection, and transmission via surfaces as well
as air. Researchers also considered negative
aspects of mask use, such as increased face
touching.
The study suggests that an entire population
wearing masks of just 75% effectiveness can
bring a very high ‘R’ number of 4.0 (the UK was
close to this before lockdown) all the way down
to under 1.0, even without aid of lockdowns.
In fact, masks that only capture a mere 50% of
exhaled droplets would still provide a
'population-level benefit', even if they
quadrupled the wearer’s own contamination risk
through frequent face touching and mask
adjustment – a highly unlikely scenario.
Patient Knowhow has been on the lookout for
better masks with these properties. Below are a
short list of off-the-shelf options you can
purchase online as well as a number of new mask
designs that push the envelope in these
dimensions. Which is best? Patient Knowhow is
not making any recommendations because it seems
the right mask for each person is different
based on their preferences, but at minimum they
need to promise N95 level filtration and have
features to form a seal (fit) with the face.
Many good options are available off-the-shelf.
Uses a folding design based on origami
principles to achieve a tighter fit with the
face. Winner of a competition run by Johnson &
Johnson and BARDA. Although not yet NIOSH
approved they are working towards approval.
A brace or harness to improve the fit of
commonly used surgical masks
Although not yet NIOSH approved they are working
towards approval.
An elastomeric mask in use by first responders
made by a Wisconsin auto-parts manufacturer that
uses a symmetric, flat-filter design (so no
exhalation valve).
Although not yet NIOSH approved they are working
towards approval.
Clear face mask with high-performance filter
Although not yet NIOSH approved they are working
towards approval.
Clear face mask with HEPA filter.
Tight seal with high-efficiency filter
Readers can find details on many reusable masks
in CMD.
Companies such as Purar,Vogmask
and others are identified in keyword
search of the Alerts.
If you click on the intelligence system
and then on the key word fit you see very
extensive documentation on the fit testing for
Vogmask.
five sizes are available to accommodate
all the face types.
Experts now estimate that each month, 129
billion face masks and 65 billion gloves are
used and disposed of globally. (McIlvaine
questions whether 8 billion people are wearing
16 masks per month.)With a surgical mask
weighing roughly 3.5g, that would equate to
451,500 tonnes of masks a month and, when placed
next to one another, cover an area roughly three
times the size of Singapore.
Conservationists and non-governmental
organizations are increasingly concerned that a
lot of the plastic waste, especially
pandemic-related waste, is ending up in
landfills, waterways and oceans, adding to the
millions of tonnes of plastic waste already
dumped into the world's oceans every year.
Blended Huemanity now offers the Acteev
Protect™ Nonwoven Mask and
the Acteev
Protect™ Fabric Mask with Filter,
from Ascend Performance Materials. These new
masks are reusable and general purpose masks,
featuring powerful built-in antimicrobial
technology, which inhibits the growth of
odor-causing bacteria, mold and fungi. The masks
are soft, breathable, comfortable, and gentle on
the skin. Blended Huemanity's Acteev
Protect™ masks are an ideal choice for anyone
seeking better protection, comfort, and
breathability.
"The collaboration between Accel Lifestyle and
Ascend Performance Materials brings together two
powerhouse companies, with expertise in science,
fabric, manufacturing, branding and consumer
products," said Blended Huemanity Co-Founder and
CEO Megan Eddings, who is also founder & CEO of
Accel Lifestyle.
"If the last few months have shown us anything,
it's that the need for face coverings isn't
going away," Eddings said. "We all want to
return to normal life – sporting events, family
gatherings, hugs with friends – but we want to
do so safely and comfortably."
Acteev Protect™ Masks are made with Acteev™
technology, which incorporates active zinc ions
in a polymer matrix, focusing on destroying
microbes. "Acteev's active layer of
defense uses safe, environmentally friendly
active zinc ions embedded into the matrix of the
polymer – not a chemical spray that will wash
away or flake off – meaning these masks can be
used again and again," said Phil McDivitt, CEO
of Ascend, the company that invented Acteev™.
Ascend is currently working with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration to obtain
appropriate regulatory clearances to make
specific claims regarding the Acteev™ technology's
antiviral properties.
"When returning to regular activities, people
want a mask that is comfortable, well-made,
reusable and easy to breathe through," McDivitt
said. "Our scientists and engineers invented a
process for creating a revolutionary new fabric
that checks all the boxes. Acteev™ fabric is
incredibly soft to the touch and
moisture-wicking to keep the face cool, and it's
more breathable than other materials used in
masks."
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