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That’s because some disposable masks — like surgical masks and KN95 masks — just plain work better, experts say. And plenty of them are available now, a turnaround from the beginning of the pandemic when the highest-quality masks needed to be reserved for healthcare professionals.
In an August study, currently under peer review, a group of researchers from universities including Yale and Stanford found that surgical masks are 95% effective at filtering out virus particles — compared to just 37% for cloth masks.
That held true even after the surgical masks were washed with soap and water 10 times, though the CDC and the FDA both say you shouldn’t reuse disposable surgical masks under any circumstances.
Public health officials in European countries like France, Germany and Austria are currently urging people to wear medical or surgical masks instead of homemade cloth masks — but it’s not quite as simple as tossing out your cloth masks and buying a replacement stockpile of disposables.
Here are the biggest differences, and when you should use one type of mask versus the other:Assuming they fit properly, cloth masks can do a decent job removing most of the droplets people generate from talking, breathing, coughing or sneezing, says Yang Wang, an assistant professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology who runs the Particle Measurement & Technology Laboratory.
But, Wang says, you’ll be significantly more protected by wearing a higher caliber of disposable mask. Your strongest option is the KN95 mask, which is commonly made in China and filters up to 95% of particles in the air.
If you can’t find KN95s, go with surgical masks made from a non-woven plastic material called polypropylene. The material is capable of holding an electric charge, which can attract, intercept and remove foreign particles that might otherwise slip through the cracks of a cloth mask, Wang says.
Surgical masks and KN95s are relatively inexpensive, so you can probably afford to stockpile them: A quick Amazon search for “surgical masks” shows several 50-pack options ranging from $8-$12.
And their quality is relatively consistent, “whereas cloth masks can be quite variable,” says Dr. Judith O’Donnell, section chief of Infectious Diseases at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and a professor of Infectious Diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.You may notice that the above list doesn’t include N95 masks. They also provide high-quality protection, but still need to be reserved for medical facilities and people with a very high risk of Covid exposure, says Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, and an epidemiologist by training.
That’s why, at the start of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended cloth masks over all types of medical-grade ones. That recommendation remains in place today: The CDC maintains that well-fitting cloth masks can still effectively prevent the spread of Covid.
And many Americans have gotten used to their two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric over the past year and a half. Cloth masks are comfortable, affordable, reusable and sometimes even fashionable.
Their top strength is also the biggest weakness of surgical masks and KN95s, Goldman says: Cloth masks have “far more durability over time,” while disposable ones need to be thrown away as soon as they become dirty.
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study published in July estimated that the Covid-19 pandemic will ultimately produce up to 7,200 tons of medical waste, mostly from disposable masks.