| 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... |
"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."
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