Can homemade masks prevent COVID-19 spread when we sneeze?

Masks made with common household fabrics help prevent the spread of viruses like Covid19 as researchers have found that they are considerably effective at blocking droplets similar to those that may be released by speaking coughing and sneezing even as a single layerFor the study published in the journal Extreme Mechanics Letters the researchers examined the effectiveness of common household fabrics that ranged from new and used garments quilted cloths bedsheets and dishcloth material in blocking dropletsAerosol particles are typically classified as less than five micrometers and lie in the range of hundreds of nanometersHowever larger droplets up to about one millimetre in diameter can also be expelled when an individual speaks coughs or sneezesThese larger droplets pose a problem because with sufficient momentum they can squeeze through the pores of some fabrics break into smaller droplets and become airborneHowever for an individual to feel compelled to wear a mask it must be comfortable and breathable the researchers saidThe team tested the breathability and dropletblocking ability of 11 common household fabrics using a medical mask as a benchmarkThe researchers then characterised the fabrics in terms of their construction fiber content weight thread count porosity and waterabsorption rateTesting the breathability of these fabrics was the easy part said Taher Saif Professor at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign in the USWe simply measured the rate of airflow through the fabric Testing the dropletblocking ability is a bit more complicatedIn the lab the researchers fill the nozzle of an inhaler with distilled water seeded with easytofind 100nanometer diameter fluorescent particles which happens to be the size of a novel coronavirus particleWhen puffed the inhaler forces the water through the nozzle and generates highmomentum droplets that collect on a plastic dish placed in front of the inhalerTo test the fabrics the researchers repeat this process with the various materials placed over the collection dishesWe count the number of nanoparticles landing on the dish using a highresolution confocal microscope We can then use the ratio of the number collected with and without the fabric to give us a measure of dropletblocking efficiency Saif saidThe team also measured the velocity and size of the particles expelled from the inhaler using highspeed videoWe found that all of the fabrics tested are considerably effective at blocking the 100 nanometer particles carried by highvelocity droplets similar to those that may be released by speaking coughing and sneezing even as a single layer Saif saidWith two or three layers even the more permeable fabrics such as Tshirt cloth achieve dropletblocking efficiency that is similar to that of a medical mask while still maintaining comparable or better breathabilityKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever