This is something I’ve heard a lot, and assuming it’s true, what’s the science behind it? Surely holes in masks are the same size no matter whether the germs are heading in or out, but I’m guessing it’s not about the holes and I’m missing something.
Obligatory disclaimer: I’m not an anti-masker, I’m still wearing it in shops for example. This is just me wanting to understand.
In: Biology
If you sneeze or cough, where does you r snot and phlegm go? Now put a mask on.
Clear?
It reduces your spray from about 2m, to about just Infront of your mask.
Here is a good demonstration: https://youtu.be/x6cTDGqcUpA
It can’t protect you from the virus much as the virus can get in your eyes and such.
It’s very simple
Both you and another guy don’t wear pants: he pees on you and you get wet
Only you wear pants: he still pees on you, but you’re not as wet
Both of you wear pants: he only pees on himself, any droplets get caught on your pants and you don’t get wet
The problem is that **ideally** in order for your mask to protect you while in contact with potentially infectious people who aren’t wearing a mask you need to change out your mask every 4 hours (or as soon as it is damp). Otherwise you’re giving COVID and bacteria and fungi time to accumulate and multiply on your mask material to almost certainly infectious levels.
The world health authorities knew that it was not feasible at the beginning of COVID-19 to get people to comply with having to change masks 3 or 4 times a day – there wasn’t even initial supply for 1 mask a day. So it was a comprise recommendation taking mask supply and people’s habits / potential compliance levels into account.
So your mask can be a cesspool but at least it’s preventing COVID from being aerosolized.
If a more deadly, but equally spreadable variant emerges, they might have to revise that recommendation to N95(or equivalent) masks being replaced every 4 hours in order to have an efficient protection factor.
Partly the saying is overselling a bit, masks do help both ways, they’re just more effective at stopping spreading than they are at stopping catching.
It’s because when you cough/sneeze/breath it’s not just gases that leave your mouth, there’s lots of small water droplets as well.
The water droplets either fall straight to the floor because they’re too heavy or they float around and might slowly evaporate away leaving just the virus and whatever else behind.
Masks are very good at stopping droplets which have recently been released but they’re less effective the smaller they get, the droplets are biggest when they’re first sneezed/coughed so that’s when a mask has the best effect.
Also not all masks are equal, if you get yourself a good enough mask then it will basically be just as good either way.
Thes best thing i saw was the Pee in pants example.
Someone was about to pee on themself….
If you are wearing paints, but they are not you have a high chance to be contacted with pee
If you arent wearing pants, but they are they will pee thier own pants. if you are close enough to them you could still get wet but its unlikely
If both you and they are wearing pants you have the best chance not to get wet
I think minutephysics on YouTube gave the best explanation in their video [*Why Masks Work Better Than You Think*](https://youtu.be/Y47t9qLc9I4)
The best analogy I found was imagine you have a penis and you’re pissing yourself.
If you don’t have pants on. Other people near you will get wet regardless of whether they have pants on of not
If you do have pants on only you will get wet
Germs/cold viruses usually spread through tiny water particles that humans breathe out all the time and a decent mask stops them
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The mask stops tiny spit and cough particles from going out of your face. Not entirely, but it helps reduce it by a lot. you are more likely to catch germs through touching stuff with your hands. Unless you rub your face on things in public..
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