Last updated on January 3, 2023
How Public Health strangles private breathing: face masks and the coronavirus
Have you noticed people starting to crack? It’s especially bad here in Los Angeles, where Gov. Gavin Newsom, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Dictator Barbara Ferrer (LA County Health) have formed a fiefdom, and hold complete control over our businesses, ability to leave our homes, and even to breathe freely -because masks are mandatory since Covid-19.
Newsom and other Governors who followed him, have completely ignored the ravages of mental and emotional health in these lockdowns. They will have a lot to answer for, when social scientists are able to collect all the depression, delusions and even suicides resulting from their actions. A new report from KFF says 45% of the country is now suffering from bad mental health.
One of the main ways Public Health, both the CDC and local agencies, are controlling people is by forcing people to wear masks at all times. This publicizes their own “efforts” in a visible way, and also puts peer pressure on citizens from their own neighbors. Here in LA the Mayor rewards snitches, and even has a Hotline to keep people on opposite sides: dividing, not uniting.
Do paper or dust masks work against a virus like Covid-19?
But smart and independent people want to know: do masks work, and if someone chooses to wear one, which ones should they get? Or should they just make their own, like a Home Ec project?
I called OSHA and researched masks by turning directly to science; all 4 studies were done by peer-reviewed data. As I have written here before, I wore all kinds of masks for years in the studios in Local 729, IATSE, as a set painter. All were approved by OSHA, of course – same as equipment used in hospitals. If they don’t pass OSHA tests, they Fail! I’ll write more about that later.
Are n95 masks really better?
The main reason why, as news reports keep saying, n95 are the only ones used in healthcare situations, is because of the fit. All the other face coverings, including silly bandannas, etc, are for show and selfies, with huge gaps on the edges. They are “close your windows, and leave your door open” type of safety. They won’t work for a virus.
There are a couple of studies below that suggest surgical masks, also OSHA certified, are almost as good as n95, but that is disputed. Read the details.
None of the masks studied are available to the public now, in stores or Amazon. This is common knowledge, so why do people keep thinking the DIY cloth or paper ones work?? In cognitive therapy it’s called magical thinking. People believe something to maintain their sense of control or safety, even when reality and the facts prove them wrong.
In all these studies they measured the outside of the paper masks, too…because people keep touching them. This is what I see neighbors doing now: taking off the mask to talk, eat, drink, touching them constantly to adjust them and sometimes carrying them, like a talisman.
Also, note the details: even the best n95 NOSHA masks let in about 5% of the virus. And 3 of the 4 studies were made before the coronavirus, so they aren’t tainted with the current hysteria.
Real healthcare professionals test face masks for coronavirus protection
This is an interesting study on how the masks work with physical exertion: pounding a patient’s chest to make his heart restart! (like in the movies or TV!) They work worse, of course. Mask B, which they call the folding type, worked best.
2 A Comparison of Surgical Masks, Surgical N95 Respirators, and Industrial N95 Respirators
“Surgical N95 respirators are designed to reduce but cannot eliminate the wearer’s exposure to airborne biological contaminants. They do not eliminate the risk of illness, disease, or death”
“Putting a respirator on or taking it off even for a few seconds in a contaminated area can expose the wearer to significant levels of hazards.”
This was surprising: “As worn by health care personnel in this trial, use of N95 respirators, compared with medical masks,(2668 HCP-seasons) in the outpatient setting resulted in no significant difference in the rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”
“N95 respirators are designed to prevent the wearer from inhaling small airborne particles,9 must meet filtration requirements,and fit tightly to the wearer’s face, limiting facial seal leakage. Medical masks, frequently called surgical masks, are intended to prevent microorganism transmission from the wearer to the patient.”
These 2 medical masks tested and worked well (although both masks had an 8% fail), and are the ones I would recommend. They are not n95, so you should be able to buy them, but they are out of stock on amazon as of this writing: Precept Fluidgard and Kimberly-Clark Fluidshield #3.
4. Effectiveness of Surgical and Cotton Masks in Blocking SARS–CoV-2
This test was done just last week, and n95 masks were not included – just those you can buy over the counter. They tested KM Dental Masks and Seoulsa cotton masks.
“In conclusion, both surgical and cotton masks seem to be ineffective in preventing the dissemination of SARS–CoV-2 from the coughs of patients with COVID-19 to the environment and external mask surface.”
Cloth masks don’t work to keep out Covid-19, but help with dust
There have been no tests of DIY masks like the one CDC has been pushing, or that Etsy sells, because they are just for show, and not to stop a virus. If masks worked, doctors would have been recommending them for the flu and colds for years! It’s a mystery why the CDC doesn’t care enough about the public’s health to allow them to buy n95 masks, but as I wrote before, the CDC sewing patterns appear to be just a PR move for them, and not serious advice. :(
Next up: I’ve worn many of these masks for work, so I share my own experiences with them!
[…] can find 4 different studies in medical journals on masks to use here. I also wrote about my personal experience wearing many kinds of OSHA masks in the […]