CDC Now Recommends Wearing a “cloth face” Coverings In Public Settings

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From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as they continue to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus the CDC now knows “from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.”  The virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity such as talking, coughing, or sneezing even if people are not exhibiting symptoms.

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CDC now recommends wearing a “cloth face” coverings in public settings where social distancing of 6′ are tough to maintain like in the grocery stores and pharmacies and areas of significant community-based transmission. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators because those items are critical supplies that are reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders.

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o why are agencies of the government still procuring paper face masks and are cloth face masks better? The current surgical masks are not easily cleanable and the paper masks not at all.  The short answer is these requirements for paper masks are for surgical face masks and not really for general public use. “Strikingly, a detectable level of infectious virus could still be present on the outer layer of a surgical mask on day 7,” researchers wrote, so a surgical mask that cant be cleaned is not a good solution. Then why is the emerging requirement for face masks  defined as “Surgical Masks” in the quantity of  66 million.  I am wondering if this is really the right requirement or if FEMA has over engineered the requirement to reflect surgical when a cloth face mask is really the right performance target?

The problem with paper face masks is they end up in the trash or on the ground after a single use. The CDC responds to a question “Should cloth face coverings be washed or otherwise cleaned regularly?” The response is “Yes, they should be routinely washed depending on the frequency of use.”  The problem is a paper mask cannot be easily cleaned that is why we see them on the ground, in the trash and by the side of the road.  A washing machine should suffice in properly washing a cloth face covering but that will destroy a paper mask.

According to Dr. Steven Gordon, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Infectious Disease, and pulmonologist Dr. Raed Dweik Chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Respiratory Institute, when they talk about the science around cloth masks and why wearing them is important; “There is evidence that such masks reduce the exhaled aerosols from infectious, but asymptomatic, individuals.” He says, “Cloth face masks block the exhale of virus particles into the air around you, your mask is keeping the virus from spreading. Additionally, cloth masks serve as a helpful physical barrier against coughs or sneeze.” According to Dr Dweik, these actions can propel a cloud of droplets from you up to 25 or 26 feet. Your mask can “disrupt” that cloud and keep those virus particles from traveling.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

If we accept that a cloth face covering is the right performance for most organizations not directly involved in medical settings, what should a prospective buyer look for? Cloth face coverings should:

• fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
• be secured with ties or ear loops
• include multiple layers of fabric
• allow for breathing without restriction
• be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or
change to shape

So what about that nose stay fit? While a pipe cleaner will serve the purpose in a pinch  for the at home sewing operator – the fit is not comfortable and the wire will eventually break. A solution that our team has developed is a small, malleable piece of light weight stamped metal. This allow the mask to be laundered for 25 times and still fit well over the bridge of the nose.

Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) picture of silver nanoparticles loaded grafted cotton fabric

What about type of fabric?  The CDC recommends a 100% cotton fabric for the “at home sewing operator” who normally will not have access to more technical fabrics.  While the CDC does reference both a woven material and a knit (tee shirt material) I think most masks today are made from a woven fabric.  Woven fabrics do not fit as snugly or comfortably against the side of the face as a knit.

Courtesy of Ultimate Guide To Mil-Spec Outdoor Gear

Our team has focused on a knit fabric and one that is made of performance synthetic yarns.  The performance difference from cotton is that cotton does not wick moisture away from the face but holds on to the moisture much longer than a synthetic like polyester or nylon. That is why your performance garments for athletics are made with a synthetic instead of a cotton. We believe there is a significant difference and improvement in comfort.

Wicking, when used in the context of clothing fabric, refers to the ability of that fabric to move moisture away from the body and the fabric itself. 

For more information about what the CDC recommends please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html   For more information about how techical fabrics are tested to ensure that they meet the required standards for medical use please visit the ASTM Standards & COVID-19 standards used in the production and testing of personal protective equipment – including face masks, medical gowns, gloves, and hand sanitizers – these are the test procedures that manufacturers, test labs, health care professionals, and the general public refer to in response to the global COVID-19 public health emergency.

For further information and commercial availability of cloth face masks please contact https://silveroakleafinc.com/ or leave a message here.