With more people creating their own homemade face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, researchers in the U.S. have found that wrapping nylon stockings around face coverings can make them considerably more protective.
In one study that has not yet been peer-reviewed, but published on the scientific preprint site medRxiv, researchers from the University of Northeastern University in Boston show how nylon stockings filter out small particles in the air by producing a tighter seal around the homemade face mask.
The addition of a layer of nylon stocking over the masks lessens the flow of air around the edges of the masks and improved particle filtration efficiency for all masks and improved particle filtration efficiency for all masks.
The nylon outer layer can increase the filtering capability of homemade cloth masks to match or even exceed that of medical-grade surgical masks, but not the N95 respirators.
The authors of the study stated that the additional protective layer can be an easy, affordable way for people to improve the protectiveness of homemade masks for the wearer themselves.
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https://www.healthline.com/health-news/face-masks-importance-battle-with-covid19
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/types-of-face-mask
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200504-coronavirus-what-is-the-best-kind-of-face-mask