A mask test in Japan: wearing this way, the “leakage” rate of external bacteria is 100%

Masks can help us block the virus, but if they are taken off and worn improperly, their protective effect will be greatly reduced.

A program on MBS TV in Japan did a test and found that the wrong way to wear the mask will greatly reduce the filtering effect of the mask.

Here are the 4 most common mistakes in taking off and wearing masks, and teach you how to use them correctly to make masks more effective in protection.

4 wrong ways to take off masks:

1. Does not fit the face completely

There is a gap between the mask and the face, and when a person breathes, the airflow will flow to the gap. This program on Japanese MBS TV had a woman wear a mask that did not fit her face.

Doctors use special equipment to measure the probability of harmful substances in the air on the outside of the mask entering the inside of the mask through the gap. The test found that the external bacteria leakage rate reached 100%. That is to say, there is a gap between the mask and the face, which will seriously reduce the filtering effect of the mask.

the right way

When wearing a mask, press the nose to fit the entire face. After wearing it, take a deep breath, and the bulging of the mask means that it is worn tightly.

2. Masks are positive and negative

If the mask is worn backwards, the exhaled water vapor cannot pass through. If the mask becomes wet after wearing it for a while, it loses its blocking effect.

the right way

Generally, the darker color is the front, the lighter color is the reverse, and the part with the metal strip should be above the mask.

3. When taking off the mask, touch the outside of the mask with your hands

Many people inadvertently touch the outside of the mask when they take off the mask. The outside of the mask is the dirtiest. Taking off the mask directly from the outside with hands will open the channel for the virus to spread by contact.

the right way

Hold the ear rope with your hand to remove it, do not touch the outside of the mask, and wash your hands after removing the mask.

4. Cut the mask and throw it away

Masks can block droplets, but it is not clear how long and how much the virus remains on the outside of the mask. Shredding the mask is likely to increase the risk of viral infection by touching the outside of the mask.

the right way

The masks used by ordinary people should be discarded in closed garbage bags and disposed of according to the requirements of household garbage classification. Masks used by suspected cases or their nursing staff should be disposed of as medical waste.

How to identify genuine and fake masks?

In the face of the “mask shortage”, fake masks have also appeared in the market in large numbers. Experts remind that they can be identified through the following methods. There are also many professional protective clothing and mask testing equipment on the market.

Use packaging information to check authenticity

As medical masks, enterprises must obtain a production license number before they can be produced. This number can be verified on the website of the State Drug Administration.

Does the mask contain meltblown nonwovens?

The key protective role in the mask is the meltblown cloth. Due to the high price, some fake and inferior masks are not used.

It can be judged in two ways:

Cut open the mask to observe the middle layer. The meltblown cloth is located in the middle layer of the mask, and its structure is dense and white; while the spunbond cloth has a relatively loose structure and high transparency. In addition, the strength of melt-blown cloth is very low, and it is broken by hand; the strength of spunbond cloth is high, and it needs a lot of force to be torn.

The appearance is directly observed. The structure of meltblown cloth is dense and almost opaque to light; many fake and inferior masks without meltblown cloth have high light transmittance, and the facial skin is faintly visible when wearing.

Whether it has static electricity

In order to make breathing as smooth as possible and meet the protection requirements at the same time, the qualified meltblown cloth for masks will go through the “electret process”.

The surface of the fiber after electret has a large amount of charges, and the fine particles are intercepted by the electrostatic adsorption effect. Therefore, it will have obvious attraction to hair, iron filings, etc.

Although the amount of meltblown cloth in a single mask is small, the effect of adsorbing hair is not obvious, but the existence of electric charge can also make it adsorb on the wall.

Although some fake and inferior masks have meltblown cloth, they have not been electret, or the charge has been dissipated in large quantities due to poor technology, too long storage time, etc., and their protective performance is naturally substandard.

Masks can help us block the virus, but if they are taken off and worn improperly, their protective effect will be greatly reduced.