>>> ALL RIGHT.
THIS MORNING ON YOUR HEALTH, A
TROUBLING QUESTION FOR ALL OF
US.
AND YOU AT HOME TOO.
HOW DIRTY IS YOUR MASK?
YOU WEAR IT ALL THE TIME TO
PROTECT YOURSELF AND THE PEOPLE
AROUND YOU FROM COVID-19.
IT IS A NECESSITY.
YOU DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
BUT THIS MORNING NBC’S
INVESTIGATIVE AND CONSUMER
CORRESPONDENT VICKY NGUYEN IS
HERE TO SHOW US WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN SHE SWABS THE INSIDE OF OUR
MASK.
VICKY, YOU DON’T NEED TO BRING
SO MUCH OF YOUR INVESTIGATIVE
QUALITIES HERE.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED?
>> HAVE A LITTLE FAITH.
MANY OF US ARE WEARING A MASK
EVERY DAY.
MOST OF US PROBABLY AREN’T
WASHING OR REPLACING OUR MASKS
AS OFTEN AS WE SHOULD.
BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS LIVING ON
OUR MASKS?
AND COULD IT MAKE US SICK?
LET’S JUST SAY I THINK YOU’RE
GOING TO WANT TO WASH YOUR MASK
OR MAYBE GRAB A NEW ONE AFTER
YOU SEE THIS.
WE WEAR THEM ALMOST EVERYWHERE
WE GO.
FROM THE GROCERY STORE TO
WORKING OUT, OUR FACE MASKS ARE
ON.
OUR KIDS EVEN WEARING THEM IN
THE CLASSROOM.
WHILE THEY HELP PREVENT THE
SPREAD OF COVID-19, JUST HOW
DIRTY CAN THEY GET?
TO FIND OUT, WE’RE ENLISTING THE
HELP OF OUR "TODAY" FAMILY.
I BROUGHT BROWN PAPER BAGS FOR
Y’ALL.
YOU NEED TO PUT YOUR MASK IN THE
BAG WITH YOUR NAME ON IT.
AND WE’RE GOING TO SWAB THEM AND
SEE WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE AND
OUTSIDE.
SAVANNAH?
>> I DON’T EVEN WANT TO DO THIS.
>> I KNOW MINE IS FILTHY.
I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW.
>> YOU THINK YOURS IS CLEAN?
>> NO.
>> MINE IS FILTHY.
>> I USE DISPOSAL SO HOW DIRTY
COULD THEY BE?
>> WE’VE SEEN YOUR PURSE.
DON’T BE TOO OVERCONFIDENT.
>> I VOTE SAVANNAH’S IS THE
GROSSEST.
>> Reporter: DYLAN AND SHEINELLE
HAND OVER THEIR FACE MASKS TOO.
I ALSO ADD MINE INTO THE MIX.
I’VE BEEN WEARING IT ALL WEEK.
I GET TO WORK WITH SPECIAL
STERILE SWABS.
THEY WON’T DETECT IF CORONAVIRUS
IS ON A MASK, BUT THEY WILL PICK
UP ANY BACTERIA.
SAVANNAH’S MASK.
I START WITH SAVANNAH’S.
FIRST I GET THE INSIDE OF EACH
MASK.
THE PART THAT TOUCHES YOUR NOSE
AND MOUTH.
GOT YOU, HODA.
I CHANGE GLOVES IN BETWEEN EACH
MASK.
AND I USE A DIFFERENT SWAB ON
THE OUTSIDE.
OUTSIDE OF DYLAN’S MASK HERE.
THIS IS SHEINELLE’S.
OUTSIDE OF HER PRETTY PRISTINE
BRAND NEW LOOKING MASK.
REMEMBER, THE OUTSIDE OF THE
MASK IS THE PART WE LIKELY TOUCH
THE MOST WITH OUR HANDS.
STYLISH MASK, CRAIG.
THAT LOOKS LIKE A COFFEE STAIN.
I LABELED EACH SWAB AND THEN
THEY’RE OFF TO THE LAB.
>> HERE YOU GO, DR. WHITTIER.
>> Reporter: WE ENLIST THE HELP
OF MICROBIOLOGIST DR. SUSAN
WHITTIER.
SHE TRANSFERS WHATEVER IS ON THE
SWAB TO A PETRI DISH.
AFTER 72 HOURS, THE RESULTS ARE
IN.
ALL RIGHT.
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE.
THIS IS THE MOMENT WE’VE BEEN
WAITING FOR.
>> THESE ARE THE SWABS THAT WE
CULTURED.
>> Reporter: WHOSE MASK HAD
NOTHING ON THEM.
>> D.D. WAS NEGATIVE.
>> Reporter: YOU FOUND NO
BACTERIA ON THE INSIDE OR
OUTSIDE OF HER MASK?
>> NO.
>> Reporter: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE
REST OF US?
SAVANNAH, HODA, SHEINELLE, AND I
ALL HAD SKIN BACTERIA GROWING ON
THE INSIDE OF OREUR MASK.
>> THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THE
LARGE MAJORITY IS ON YOUR CHIN
OR ABOVE YOUR NOSE.
>> Reporter: THEY CAN’T MAKE YOU
SICK?
>> IT’S NORMAL SKIN BACTERIA WE
WOULD FIND ON 100% OF PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: AND OUTSIDE THE
MASKS?
CRAIG HAD A LITTLE SKIN
BACTERIA, BUT SAVANNAH AND HODA?
>> THERE WAS A LOT OF GROWTH.
IT WAS QUITE SURPRISING.
IT WAS LIKE, OH, MY GOSH.
>> Reporter: AND YOU’RE A
SCIENTIST.
>> YES, EXACTLY.
>> Reporter: TAKE A LOOK.
THE SWABS FROM SAVANNAH AND
HODA’S SWABS PICKED UP THE MOST
BACTERIA.
BOTH HAD A BACTERIA FOUND IN TAP
WATER.
>> I WOULD SEE THAT AS AN
INDICATION OF SOMEBODY TOUCHING
THE OUTSIDE OF THEIR MASK WITH
DAMP OR WET HANDS.
>> Reporter: GOOD TO KNOW.
YOUR DIRTY MASK PROBABLY WON’T
GET YOU SICK, BUT IT CAN CAUSE
SKIN IRRITATION AND EVEN
OUTBREAKS.
WHAT IS MASK-NE?
IS IT REAL?
>> YES.
IT IS REAL BECAUSE I SUFFER FROM
IT MYSELF.
>> Reporter: DR. GOHARA IS A
PROFESSOR OF DERMATOLOGY.
>> IT COMES FROM FRICTION AND
RUBBING.
ALSO THE FACT THERE’S MOISTNESS
AND HUMIDITY UNDER THE MASKS.
>> Reporter: AND SOME MASK
MATERIALS ARE BETTER FOR YOUR
SKIN THAN OTHERS.
>> THE MASKS THAT ARE BETTER AT
PREVENTING ACNE ARE COTTON
MASKS.
THAT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE LIGHTER
AND MORE BREATHABLE.
THE MASK THAT CAN PROMOTE
MASK-NE ARE THOSE MADE OF
POLYESTER AND RAYON.
BECAUSE THE HUMIDITY GETS
TRAPPED UNDER THEM.
>> Reporter: BUT YOU CAN PREVENT
IT BY WASHING YOUR MASK OFTEN.
DERMATOLOGISTS RECOMMEND IF YOU
HAVE SENSITIVE SKIN, USE THE
SAME CLEANSER TO WASH YOUR MASK
YOU USE ON YOUR FACE.
TIPS TO USE TO KEEP YOURSELF
HEALTHY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
>> OKAY.
I WANT A REMATCH.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO LET’S REMEMBER, WHILE THE
MASKS CAN GET DIRTY IF YOU DON’T
WASH THEM, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS
AGREE MASKS PREVENT THE SPREAD
OF COVID-19.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO WEAR THEM.
REPLACE THEM OR WASH THEM TO
KEEP THEM CLEAN.
WAY TO GO, DYLAN.
SUPER CLEAN.
>> I DIDN’T KNOW MY FACE WAS SO
CLEAN.
>> WAIT A MINUTE.
WE WANT TO GET BACK TO OURS FOR
A SECOND.
>> DON’T SHOW THE PICTURE.
>> THERE IT IS.
>> NO.
THAT’S SO DISGUSTING.
>> ENJOY YOUR BREAKFAST.
>> YOU SAID THE THING ABOUT TAP
WATER.
SO WE COULD HAVE LITERALLY --
>> WE WERE WASHING OUR HANDS.
>> WASHING OUR HANDS.
>> AND THEN YOU TOUCH THE MASK.
IT’S FOUND IN TAP WATER AND THE
SOIL.
NOTHING HARMFUL ON ANY OF THE
MASKS.
>> WERE YOU GUYS GARDENING
AGAIN?
>> DRY YOUR HANDS OFF BEFORE YOU
TOUCH THE MASKS.
>> YOUR MASK IS PERFECTLY FINE.
YOU CAN WEAR IT AGAIN.
YOU CAN THROW IT OUT.
BUT FOR US, JUST WASH OUR MASKS.
MY MOM WASHES HERS EVERY DAY.
SHE WASHES IT AFTER SHE WASHES
HER HANDS.
>> WHAT ABOUT SHEINELLE?
>> I USE THE DISPOSAL ONES.
SO I WAS SURPRISED THAT, YOU
KNOW --
>> WHAT’S ROKER DOING?
>> HERE’S AL.
>> I USE THE DISPOSABLE.
>> IF YOU SWABBED THE INSIDE OF
OUR MOUTHS, THERE’D BE BACTERIA.
IT’S ON YOU.
YOU’RE NOT SPREADING IT ALL OVER
THE WORLD.
>> TOTALLY.
WHILE YOU MAY BE GROSSED OUT,
THERE’S BACTERIA ON YOUR MASK,
IT’S SUPER NORMAL.
THERE WASN’T DANGEROUS THINGS ON
IT.
>> DOES ANYBODY WANT TO BORROW
MY MASK?
>> REMEMBER HODA THROWING SOME
SHADE?
LIKE SHE THOUGHT SAVANNAH’S WAS
GOING TO BE THE DIRTIEST?
SEE WHAT HAPPENED?
>> IT’S CALLED KARMA.
AND IT NEVER RESTS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
YOU’RE GOING TO BE BACK AS THESE
GUYS SAID IN THE THIRD HOUR.
YOU’LL DO A DEEPER DIVE INTO
THOSE MASKS AND ALSO --
>> DO WE REALLY NEED TO?
>> WHAT IS IT CALLED?
>> PSEUDONOMIS.
>> WHATEVER.
LET’S GET A CHECK OF THE