Masks - Blog Posts
Wearing any type of face covering, even if it’s just a bandana, is vitally important to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Please wear a mask. I would highly recommend reading this paper on the efficiency and potential effectiveness of cloth masks. I’ve copied the conclusion down below, but I urge you to read the article for yourself; please never accept something just because you saw it in a tumblr post (or any social media post).
Conclusion of the article:
“In conclusion, we have measured the filtration efficiencies of various commonly available fabrics for use as cloth masks in filtering particles in the significant (for aerosol-based virus transmission) size range of ∼10 nm to ∼6 μm and have presented filtration efficiency data as a function of aerosol particle size. We find that cotton, natural silk, and chiffon can provide good protection, typically above 50% in the entire 10 nm to 6.0 μm range, provided they have a tight weave. Higher threads per inch cotton with tighter weaves resulted in better filtration efficiencies. For instance, a 600 TPI cotton sheet can provide average filtration efficiencies of 79 ± 23% (in the 10 nm to 300 nm range) and 98.4 ± 0.2% (in the 300 nm to 6 μm range). A cotton quilt with batting provides 96 ± 2% (10 nm to 300 nm) and 96.1 ± 0.3% (300 nm to 6 μm). Likely the highly tangled fibrous nature of the batting aids in the superior performance at small particle sizes. Materials such as silk and chiffon are particularly effective (considering their sheerness) at excluding particles in the nanoscale regime (<∼100 nm), likely due to electrostatic effects that result in charge transfer with nanoscale aerosol particles. A four-layer silk (used, for instance, as a scarf) was surprisingly effective with an average efficiency of >85% across the 10 nm −6 μm particle size range. As a result, we found that hybrid combinations of cloths such as high threads-per-inch cotton along with silk, chiffon, or flannel can provide broad filtration coverage across both the nanoscale (<300 nm) and micron scale (300 nm to 6 μm) range, likely due to the combined effects of electrostatic and physical filtering. Finally, it is important to note that openings and gaps (such as those between the mask edge and the facial contours) can degrade the performance. Our findings indicate that leakages around the mask area can degrade efficiencies by ∼50% or more, pointing out the importance of “fit”. Opportunities for future studies include cloth mask design for better “fit” and the role of factors such as humidity (arising from exhalation) and the role of repeated use and washing of cloth masks. In summary, we find that the use of cloth masks can potentially provide significant protection against the transmission of particles in the aerosol size range.”
Source again for if you don’t want to scroll up: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7185834/
Of course, a simple cloth mask is nowhere near as effective as a respiratory mask such as N95 masks, and neither even touches the effectiveness of a full-body protective suit, but (a) not everyone has access to a fully-body protective suit or even to an N95 mask and (b) any face covering is better than no face covering. So if all you have to cover your face is a bandana, please cover your face with a bandana. If you have access to higher-quality cloth masks, utilize higher-quality cloth masks. If you have access to N95 masks, wear an N95 mask. Do as much as you can to keep the virus from spreading.
(Also please note the significantly higher risk if your mask does not fit; obviously this risk would be higher with bandanas, which are not typically made to fit snugly to the contours of one’s face. Still, bandanas are better than nothing.)
Stay safe! <3
I feel this could have been designed better.
Masks:
A mean of protection
Masks are to protect others from something you might have.
Masks are a covering of the face.
Everyone wears one whether they know it or not.
A mask is a mean of protection
Everyone has multiple masks
They wear one to protect others from your true self.
For if they take it off, they will never recover.
A mask is a mean of protection.
Everyone wears one whether they know it or not.
Those who do not know may never know it, for it is now a part of them.
Those who know it is forever lost in the labyrinth of masks and shall never find themselves again.
A mask is a mean of protection.
A mask is a covering of the face.
Masks are to protect others fro your true self.
Masks
villain for Masks a Powered by Apocalypse TTRPG system, their name is the Bee-Holder; they use nanites to fight; sound like Him from PPG
Dedicated to @kolchekyourweapons ✨
With this post
Masks for Protest Safety
I have seen a lot of people out protesting without masks. I want to point out that masks are not just for safety from illness! If you're at a protest that seems at risk of turning violent or being extra controversial in some way (being held in a hostile conservative area, for example) it is a very good idea to have a mask on you to avoid facial recognition software. Even if you don't do anything wrong there is always a chance law enforcement could give you a hard time for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time (particularly if you are a minority).
Other useful tips: Keep your phone turned off or carry a burner, wear long clothes to protect from chemical agents (and cover identifying tattoos), bring water (to wash eyes and drink), don't post photos of people without their consent, avoid contact lenses and eye makeup (due to pepper spray), don't carry anything you wouldn't want to get arrested with (drugs, valuables, etc), avoid loose hair and jewelry that can get caught or grabbed, write down (maybe on your skin) or memorize contact info for people you are with.
This post was prompted because I noticed throughout my fundraising that I have not sold any masks. This is totally fine, I've made plenty of other sales and stickers usually have the highest margins anyway. I do hope this means most of you are using keffiyehs or masks you have left over from Covid though! It's good to be safe (I'm always nagging the friend I'm raising money for to take more safety precautions at his protests, haha).
Here is a small sample of some of the masks I have:
As usual, ALL PROCEEDS from these are for my Palestinian best friend, to help his girlfriend afford to join him safely in America and to help his friends and family in Palestine and around the rest of the Levant who are being hurt directly and/or financially by the attacks on Gaza, the increasing Israeli raids in the West Bank and the collateral damage in surrounding countries. All designs found here (Redbubble will show you a random product, click on each to see more product options such as masks, stickers, shirts, mugs, etc). I'm still adding new ones nearly daily.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped out so far!
Day 1
EverGlade
A celestial woodland creature that walks through her large and vast forest. The masks on her head and antlers are her eyes to gaze upon any who wander into her woods.
Made 15 of my 26 Cats masks designs. Some of them are a little tweaked, but not majorly.