Protection against the coronavirus
New study: What to consider when wearing an FFP2 mask
How much FFP2 masks Protect against the spread of the coronavirus, a study has now made clear
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A new study has now shown how much an FFP2 mask can protect against the corona virus. To ensure this protection, however, a few things should be observed.
Vaccinations, keep your distance, thorough hand washing and disinfection, regular testing: there are some measures that we have been implementing since the beginning of the corona pandemic to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as far as possible. Among other things, it also includes wearing one FFP2 mask in addition: It offers an extremely high level of protection against corona infection.
Because: Respirators of protection class FFP2 filter at least 94 percent of the particles in the air up to a size of 0.6 micrometers (µm). Coronaviruses themselves have a diameter of 0.12 to 0.16 μm. As a rule, however, they are excreted as part of larger particles which, depending on their size, stay in the air for different lengths of time and can be carried on for different distances by the air flow.
An FFP2 mask protects against harmful water and oil-based particles. It does not protect against carcinogenic substances, radioactive particles, airborne biological agents of risk group three or enzymes. The Robert Koch Institute recommended either an FFP2 or an FFP2 at the beginning of the pandemic FFP3 mask to be worn, on the one hand, to protect others from infection, but also so that the wearer (s) does not become infected themselves. Disposable, fabric or medical masks protect the environment, but not you yourself from infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Always wear the FFP2 mask correctly
So that an FFP2 mask or KN95 mask (we have already explained the difference between respiratory masks here) really guarantees this protection, it depends on the right way of wearing it, as researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen are now following report a study. According to this, the probability of infection when wearing an FFP2 mask is 0.1 percent if an infected and a healthy person meet in an indoor area at a short distance within a period of 20 minutes, according to an example scenario. Provided the mask fits correctly, writes the team around institute director Eberhard Bodenschatz in the “Proceedings“of the US National Academy of Sciences.
In the case of an incorrectly seated FFP2 mask In contrast, the risk of infection in the same scenario is around four percent, as the team has calculated. For optimal protection, the nasal clip must therefore be shaped into a “rounded W”. This ensures that he presses the sides of the nostrils and thus prevents particles from getting into the nose or mouth. With surgical masks, a good fit is enough to reduce the risk of infection to a maximum of ten percent.
The researchers calculated the risk of infection by combining many different factors such as particle sizes, physics when exhaling, different mask types, and risk of inhaling coronavirus and taking them into account in their results. “In daily life the actual probability of infection is certainly ten to a hundred times smaller,” Bodenschatz is quoted in a message from the institute according to the DPA. If even the greatest theoretical risk is small, one is on the safe side under real conditions, explained the institute director further.
The situation is completely different when two people who do not wear a mask meet: the researchers explain that if, in this case, a healthy person stands for a few minutes in the breath of an infected person at a distance of three meters, there is a very high probability that they will be infected. Bodenschatz draws the conclusion: “Our results show once again that wearing a mask in schools and in general is a good idea” to protect yourself and others from infection.
Buying an FFP2 mask: what to look out for
When buying an FFP2 mask, you should look out for the so-called CE marks to ensure that they are allowed in Europe. “The masks must regularly meet the requirements of the DIN EN 149: 2009-08 standard,” says the website from Federal Institute for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products. In addition, an FFP2 mask should be disposed of after wearing and then changed, as it is usually intended for single use in order to be able to guarantee really reliable protection.
Sources used: Federal Environment Agency / Robert Koch Institute / DPA
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