How do face masks and respirators work?

How do face masks and respirators prevent you from breathing in harmful particles? As respiratory protection against coronavirus becomes increasingly important, Risk Bites dives into the science of face masks and respirators, and explores what makes for good protection, whether it’s a professional product, or a DIY cloth face mask. USEFUL LINKS CDC: Face masks and respirators: Understanding the difference https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandingDifference3-508.pdf FDA: N95 Respirators and Surgical Masks (Face Masks) CDC: Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Protective Equipment https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirator-use-faq.html https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-and-surgical-masks-face-masks The Coronavirus Tech Handbook – Personal Protective Equipment https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/ppe CDC: Simple Respiratory Mask https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/6/05-1468_article Paper: Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic? https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/article/testing-the-efficacy-of-homemade-masks-would-they-protect-in-an-influenza-pandemic/0921A05A69A9419C862FA2F35F819D55/core-reader The untold origin story of the N95 mask (FastCompany) https://www.fastcompany.com/90479846/the-untold-origin-story-of-the-n95-mask ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to Anna Muldoon MPH for suggesting the topic! RISK BITES Risk Bites videos are devised, created and produced by Andrew Maynard, in association with the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society (http://sfis.asu.edu). They are produced under a Creative Commons License CC-BY-SA Backing track: Nature is Calling, by Immersive Music. https://www.premiumbeat.com/royalty-free-tracks/nature-is-calling Click here to see more videos: https://alugha.com/RiskBites

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