OF
OF COVID
OF COVID AND THE GOVERNOR IS CONSIDERING A STATEWIDE MASK
MANDATE, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
A GOOD TIME TO DIG INTO THE
SCIENCE BEHIND IT ALL.
CHRIS HRAPSKY JUST SHOWS US
WHAT WE DO AND DO NOT KNOW
ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
FACEMASKS.
FACEMASKS. >> I THINK MAKING PEOPLE WEAR
MASKS IS WRONG.
>> JUST PUT IT ON.
>> Reporter: LIKE A SCARLET
LETTER.
LETTER.
LETTER. >> YOU GUYS ARE VIOLATING
FDERAL LAW!
FDERAL LAW! >> SOMEHOW, FACEMASKS HAVE
BECOME A POTENT POLITICAL
STATEMENT IN THE U.S.
>> I CAN'T BREATHE!
>> Reporter: BUT MASK USE IS
NOT POLITICAL DOGMA, IT IS
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE. AND SO FAR AN IMPERFECT SCIENCE
AT THAT.
AT THAT.
AT THAT. >> IN BLUE STATES OR COUNTIES,
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SAYING.
>> Reporter: DR. MICHAEL ULSTER
HOME, A LEADING EXPERT ON
INFECTIOUS DISEASES HAS TAKEN
HEAT FOR QUESTIONING HOW WELL
HOMEMADE MASKS WORK AGAINST THE
VIRUS.
VIRUS.
VIRUS. >>
VIRUS. >> YOU ARE NOT ANTI-MOUSE, YOUR
PRO DATA.
PRO DATA.
PRO DATA. >> IT IS NOT THAT, I AM NOT
ONLY ANTI-MOUSE, I AM SAYING I
WEAR ONE.
WEAR ONE.
WEAR ONE. I OWE IT TO THE PUBLIC TO TELL
THEM WHAT I KNOW AND DON'T
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. AND
KNOW. AND THIS IS WHERE IT HAS BEEN
VERY HARD BECAUSE IN PUBLIC
HEALTH, NOTHING IS NECESSARILY
YES OR NO.
IT IS NOT UP OR DOWN.
IT IS NOT RIGHT OR LEFT.
>> HERE IS A HICCUP PREVENTING
A PERFECT ANSWER ON MASKS,
ALTER HOME SAYS ONLY SNEEZE,
COUGH, SING OR TALK, LARGE-SIZE
DROPLETS COME OUT OF OUR MOUTHS
POTENTIALLY CARRYING A BUNCH OF
VIRUSES WITH THEM, HE CALLS
THOSE BOULDERS.
THOSE BOULDERS. AND WHEN WE SIMPLY BREATHE,
MUCH SMALLER MICROSCOPIC
PARTICLES ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE
VIRUS, THEY COME OUT AS WELL.
AND HE SAYS FOR THOSE, THINK OF
MARBLES.
MARBLES.
MARBLES. >> Reporter: RECENTLY 239
SCIENTISTS SENT THIS LETTER TO
ALL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
WORLDWIDE SAYING ENOUGH STUDIES
HAVE QUOTE DEMONSTRATED BEYOND
ANY REASONABLE DOUBT THAT
VIRUSES ARE RELEASED DURING
EXHALATION.
EXHALATION. OR JUST BREATHING.
SO THE BIG QUESTION HERE, DO
HOMEMADE MASKS BLOCK THE
BOULDERS AND THE MARBLES?
>> IN TERMS OF MASS, WHAT I AM
SEEING IS THAT WE HAVE A
GROWING AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE THAT
MASKS WILL REDUCE RISK.
>> Reporter: DR. CHARISSE
SCHWARTZ, EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT
JOHNS HOPKINS, SAYS NOT ALL
HOMEMADE MASKS ARE EQUAL AND
WELL EVIDENCE SHOWS THEY CAN
WORK, THERE'S A LOT OF
COMPLEXITY TO HOW WELL THEY CAN
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. >>
WORK. >> HOW MANY LAYERS DOES THAT
MASK HAVE?
MASK HAVE? WHAT ARE THE, YOU KNOW, HOW
TIGHT IS IT TO YOUR FACE?
WHAT ARE THE OPENINGS?
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE GOING
TO MATTER.
TO MATTER. >> Reporter: THIS STUDY FROM
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
SHOWS US THREE LASERS HOW
EFFECTIVE MASKS CAN BE.
A NORMAL COUGH WITH NO MASK
PROJECTED DROPLETS UP TO 12
FEET, REMAINING IN THE AIR FOR
MINUTES.
MINUTES.
MINUTES. FOLDED BANDANNAS AND FOLDED
COTTON HANDKERCHIEF STOPPED UP
TO HALF THE DISTANCE OF SMALLER
DROPLETS IN THE COUGH BUT
PROVED LEAST EFFECTIVE.
NOW LOOK AT TWO LAYERS OF
STITCHED UP QUILTING COTTON
MASKS.
MASKS.
MASKS. IT
MASKS. IT CUTS THE DISTANCE OF THE
COUGH TO THREE INCHES, WHILE
ALSO LEAKING OUT THE SIDES.
STILL, PERFORMING BETTER IN
THIS CASE THAN A STORE ABOUT
CONE-SHAPED MASK.
CONE-SHAPED MASK. >> DO MASKS WORK?
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. I
>> YES. I THINK THEY DO WORK.
IF EVERYBODY WERE A MASK, I
THINK THAT WE CAN BEAT THE
PANDEMIC VERY QUICKLY.
>> Reporter: ANOTHER STUDY USED
BY THE CDC AND PUBLISHED IN
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY USED
A MACHINE TO RUN SIMULATED
BREATHING THROUGH A BUNCH OF
DIFFERENT MASK MATERIALS, AND
HERE IS WHAT I FOUND.
COTTON IS A GREAT FILTER, BUT
IT DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY.
TWO LAYERS OF RED COUNT COTTON
LIKE IN TEACHERS ALLOWED MORE
THAN HALF OF BIG AND SMALL
PARTICLES TO PASS THROUGH.
BUT HIGH 600 THREAD COUNT
COTTON LIKE THOSE EXPENSIVE
BEDSHEETS, THAT BLOCKED OUT
99.5% OF THE BOULDERS AND 82%
OF THE MARBLES.
THIS STUDY CLAIMS THE ABSOLUTE
BEST OF HOMEMADE MASKS ARE
HYBRIDS, HYBRID OF HIGH THREAD
COUNT COTTON, AND SILK,
BLOCKING OUT 98% OF BIG DROPLETS
AND 94% OF THE SMALLER ONES.
BUT HERE COMES THE CAVEAT.
IN THE POINT THESE EXPERTS ARE
MAKING.
MAKING.
MAKING. NONE OF THIS DATA RINGS TRUE IF
YOU ARE NOT WEARING YOUR MASS
CORRECTLY.
CORRECTLY. THE STUDY TOOK THE SAME EXACT
HYBRID MASK BUT ALLOWED FOR
SOME GAPS OR LEAKAGE OUT THE
SIDES.
SIDES.
SIDES. IN
SIDES. IN THAT SCENARIO, THE MASK
BLOCK TO ONLY ROUGHLY 35% OF
ALL PARTICLES.
ALL PARTICLES. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE
WHO SAY I DO NOT BELIEVE IN
MASKS?
MASKS?
MASKS? >>
MASKS? >> I WOULD SAY THAT I AGREE THAT
MASKS ARE NOT A SILVER BULLET,
THAT THIS ONE INTERVENTION IS
NOT THE PERFECT SOLUTION, BUT
IT IS ONE OF SEVERAL TOOLS THAT
WE HAVE THAT IF USED IN
COMBINATION CAN HAVE A REALLY
SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON THE
EPIDEMIC.
EPIDEMIC.
EPIDEMIC. >> Reporter: THE SCIENCE ON
THIS IS CHANGING EVERY DAY.
WE NEED TO BE OPEN ENOUGH TO
CHANGE WITH IT.
SO WE CAN