If your FFP2 mask is folded in half, the experts have something to tell you

Claire Judith Horwell, Professor of Geohealth in the Department of Earth Sciences and the Institute for Hazards, Risks and Resilience at Durha University, said that now that we better understand how the virus spreads, it should be a “priority” to increase the use of FFP2 masks.

In an article published in The Guardian newspaper, the expert takes for granted that anything that covers the face "is better than nothing", but regrets that countries like the United Kingdom have not put the emphasis on reporting what the more effective protection nor have they worked so that the general population has access to it.

As a result, Horwell says that high-quality masks are not the most common, even among health workers. In this sense, the expert points out that the presence of a moldable clip that helps adjust the mask to the face is essential.

“As a general rule of thumb, if you feel air getting into your eyes and your glasses fog up quickly, or if you feel your breath escaping around the edges... then polluted air may also be getting in,” he warns.

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— Thomasbcn Tue Jul 28 16:37:28 +0000 2020

In a Twitter thread, Horwell notes that people may need to try several FFP2 masks until they find one that fits well and doesn't let air out around the edges, as it only has to enter or exit through the edges. the cloth, which is the filter.

In this sense, be aware that a beard can hinder the hermetic seal that must be achieved. In addition, he warns that, in his opinion, the two-fold masks, which come with a fold in the center, "do not represent a great seal because the nose clip is folded in the middle."

“When putting on a mask, you should mold the clip to your nose, not pinch it. Otherwise, the air will escape around the bridge of the nose ”, he warns.