Some masks are more dangerous to health than their absence: what you need to know

A new study found that wearing a used mask can be more dangerous than not wearing it at all when it comes to preventing COVID-19. New York Post.

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The new three-layer surgical mask is 65 percent effective at filtering out airborne particles but drops to 25 percent as you use it, according to a study published Tuesday in Physics of Fluids.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and California Baptist University say used masks slow airflow, making people more susceptible to inhaling particles, and a dirty face mask cannot effectively filter out tiny droplets.

“It’s natural to think that wearing a mask, new or used, should always be better than nothing,” said author Jinxiang Xi. “Our results show that this statement is only true for particles larger than 5 micrometers, but not for small particles smaller than 2,5 micrometers.”

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To achieve the results, the researchers used a computer model of a human wearing a pleated three-layer surgical mask to track how the mask affects airflow and how particles pass through it. They also watched how tiny droplets were deposited on the face, in the respiratory tract, and where they entered the nose, throat, or lungs.

They found that wearing a used mask "significantly slows down" the airflow, reducing the effectiveness of the mask and making the person more susceptible to inhalation through the nose of aerosols that might harbor SARS-CoV-2.

“In this study, we found that the protective effectiveness of the nasal airway mask was reduced at lower inspiratory flow rates,” the study said.

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The folds of the face mask also significantly affect the airflow pattern, the researchers found, and their effectiveness changes with longer mask use. The team plans to study how the shape of the mask affects protection against COVID-19.

“We hope that public health authorities will strengthen current preventive measures to curb the transmission of COVID-19, such as choosing a more effective mask, wearing it correctly for maximum protection, and avoiding overused or expired surgical masks,” Xi said.

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