Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   If you're going to wear masks be aware Date:   7/13/2020 2:53:57 PM (updated 7/13/2020 3:42:08 PM)

A study done in 2013 on surgical masks demonstrated that virus counts were near pre-wear level in about two hours irrespective of the type of mask. There was no significant difference between cotton fabric and two ply disposable masks. Face masks significantly decreased bacterial dispersal initially but became almost ineffective after two hours of use. So be advised that if you wear a mask for more than two hours whatever benefit you are getting is gone altogether.  And remember, this is with surgical masks and not the worthless cloth masks everyone seems to be wearing.  The recommendation from the study is to replace the surgical masks every 30 minutes or so.  So all you people wearing your mask every hour of every day know that even with a new mask it stops working after two hours.  So replace them often or decontaminate them after every two hours of use at most and more often if possible.  Otherwise you are no better off than without a mask.