[netwanderer3]

One major weakness of the current N95 masks is that sometimes it doesn't seal very well to the contours of people's faces. When this happens, it doesn't work as well because particles can still travel into the airway via open space gaps.

I personally have not seen this implemented, but one possible solution I believe may work is to apply a thin layer of sticky hydrogen tape right along the edges of the mask so it would act like an adhesive that helps seal the open space gaps as it can fit with the unique shape and contour of each person's face.

Medical hydrogen tape is the same material that we often see being used in those sticky pads that they put on a person's body during an electrocardiogram (EKG) test. It's also the same adhesive that used by those electro pads in TENS pain-relief machines. This sticky adhesive material is safe for human skins and can last multiple uses.

It would be great if someone could add a feature in which you can insert a removable HEPA filter so it can be swapped in and out when needed.

[mauvehaus]

The problem of facial sealing is well-solved in the industrial space. People who routinely need respiratory protection for stuff other than particulates use a half-face (or full face) respirator [0] that has a body made of some flexible material that seals to the face far better than an N95 mask.

You can get particulate cartridges in the N or P-flavored type, which I use for sanding. It's also usually possible to get a particulate pre-filter on top of e.g. an organic vapor cartridge.

Respirators also come in sizes and need to be fit-tested. The quick and dirty method is to take off the cartridges, seal the holes they mount to and breathe in. If you feel your ears popping, it fits-ish (EDITED TO ADD: I am not an industrial hygienist, and I'm principally worried about wood dust not organic vapors or acid vapors or anything really bad. Don't take industrial hygiene advice from some random on the internet!). A proper fit test involves somebody puffing something around the mask while you breathe, talk, and possibly a few other things.

As it happens, for a proper seal, you also need to be clean-shaven. As I'm principally protecting myself from wood dust, I don't bother. If I'm using something noxious (like paint stripper), I'll shave and put on the correct cartridges.

Whether or not this is a solution to the current medical problem is beyond my expertise. There may be an advantage to regularly disposing of your N95 mask to prevent accidental contamination or something.

[0] https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All...

[nradov]

The difficulty in achieving a proper face seal is apparently why the US Army doesn't allow most soldiers to have beards.

"Actually, when I went to Israel I went and … talked about beards and challenges and issues, and had a lot of long discussions about it, and bottom line is, it poses a threat to our soldiers on the battlefield. There’s … data to prove it’s very difficult for the seal on a protective mask."

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-daniel-dailey-tattoos-b...

[donavanm]

Im a fan of the pink p95 & p100 disposables with nuisance level organic filtering. I want to say 2097? I used them for small painting, welding, and brazing jobs. Work a treat with organic solvents & weak acid vapors and IIRC they werent much more than the regular N & P series. The carts were nice with theprefilters but then I just have more things to keep in stock.

[spacehunt]

2097/2297 are nice, 7093 is a bit better as the plastic casing provides a bit of protection against the rain.

60926 is anecdotally proven to work in environments highly polluted with oily crystals for at least a few hours.

[wegs]

For public health use (as opposed to medical use), the difference between an N95 mask and a surgical mask is pretty small. They both make a huge difference.

It's true: air can come around if the seal isn't perfect. However, you've eliminated most of the virus. At that point, other modes of spread become dominant.

In a medical setting, where you're guarding against all modes of spread with a full body suit, googles, etc., and where you're dealing with large numbers of exposures, it's a completely different story.

Ballpark numbers for masks+frequent handwashing suggest that they'd bring R0 close to 1, assuming a whole bunch of unvalidated assumptions (e.g. they have the same impact on coronavirus as on the flu). At that point, we should be able to get things under control with social distancing and similar measures.

[mnw21cam]

When I was doing a lot of sanding, I had one of these masks, and taped it around the edges to my face. The mask would have been utterly useless if I hadn't done so, as all the dust would have just come around the edges. I just used painters' masking tape. It worked.

[lordgrenville]

Most people probably won't put it on correctly, per this claim:

"I remember my respirator training, the last time I worked in a hospital. They gave the standard two minute explanation, made you put the respirator on, and then made you go underneath a hood where they squirted some aerosolized sugar solution. If you could smell the sugar, your respirator was leaky and you failed. I tried so hard and I failed so many times. It was embarrassing and I hated it.

"I’m naturally clumsy and always bad at that kind of thing. Some people were able to listen to the two minute explanation and then pass right away. Those kinds of people could probably also listen to a two minute YouTube explanation and be fine. So I don’t want to claim it’s impossible or requires lots of specialized background knowledge. It’s just a slightly difficult physical skill you have to get right...You are unlikely to be able to figure out how to use an N95 respirator correctly. I’m not saying it’s impossible, if you try really hard, but assume you’re going to fail unless you have some reason to think otherwise."

https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-t...

[exhilaration]

it's already being done. In today's (very disturbing) article about New York health workers:

A nurse on her unit has already contracted the virus and one doctor is so scared he affixes an N95 mask to his face with tape at the beginning of each shift.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/nyregion/ny-coronavirus-d...