Best Posts in Thread: FDA recommends avoiding VALVE masks

Banks are now following the new FDA recommendation against VALVE masks. If you have one, you will probably run into this soon. We had one from years ago, and now no longer...

FDA Advisory No. 2020-1374 - 20 July 2020
<<The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is strongly advising the public that the use of a facemask with a valve is not recommended during this COVID-19 pandemic. The person wearing the mask with a valve can be protected from the virus. However if that person has the virus, he/she can infect other people....
Two-way protection is needed to prevent possible transmission of the virus. ....The person wearing the valve-mask is protected but if that person has the disease, he/she can spread the virus to other people.
Face masks with valve should not be used in healthcare settings such as hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities...... Use of this face mask is also discouraged in the community setting especially in enclosed environment such as malls, offices, restaurants, hotels, etc.

 

Lee Hypermart august 8 (if you have a card, just swipe, that tracks your time, and they already have contact info:

 

i would like to make it clear upfront that i am not being argumentative about this. i think we are all searching for an understanding of what we are faced with here. i just left the CDC web site and they state that N95 will filter out 95% of very small particles (including "o.3 microns") covid ranges from o.2 down to 0.1 micron in size. so my interpretation that the N95 mask would stop less than 95 percent of covid.

the CDC does not refer to masks as such, but as "respirators" (is my read) and described therein what we are calling masks.

the valve issue is to protect others from your exhalation as the valve releases unfiltered air you breath out.

it is hard to come to any agreement amongst ourselves when the experts don't agree and keep changing their recommendations. i think it is correct to say now the CDC recommends cloth masks for the public, not N95. cloth masks stop droplets but not the viruse (in either direction) the country of India just make use of N95 by the public illegal (for one billion plus people) requiring instead cloth mask for them.

i agree industrial use and medical use are not the same and perhaps it adds to the confusion.

most medical sites seem to distinguish between N95 respirators (with or without a valve) and "surgical masks" which appear to be more effective. again i am not taking issue with anyone about this. it is all quite confusing.

add to that the pragmatic view i have is that in this culture there are so many places where equipment is worn incorrectly or not at all. (no one in my neighborhood including all the little children wear any face covers at all). every business downtown seems to have different rules in place and that they change from day to day. to me it makes destroying the economy entirely pointless.

 

N95 masks with exhaust valve are intended for industrial uses like mining, construction or painting, were your not concerned with where your exhale goes. So 95% of particulates found in those type environments.

The US CDC recommends the use of respirators with at least N95 certification to protect the wearer from inhalation of infectious particles including covid19. I haven't found any reference as to a percentage of covid19 that can pass through. Hopefully none is why it is recommended.