Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks to Improve Performance and Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Exposure, 2021

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• Personal Author:
  Beezhold, Donald H. ; Blachere, Francoise M. ; Brooks, John T. ; Coyle, Jayme P. ; Derk, Raymond C. ; Lindsley, William G. ; Noti, John D. ; Singleton, James A.
• Description:
  What is already known about this topic? Universal masking is recommended to slow the spread of COVID-19. Cloth masks and medical procedure masks substantially reduce exposure from infected wearers (source control) and reduce exposure of uninfected wearers (wearer exposure). What is added by this report? CDC conducted experiments to assess two ways of improving the fit of medical procedure masks: fitting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, and knotting the ear loops of a medical procedure mask and then tucking in and flattening the extra material close to the face. Each modification substantially improved source control and reduced wearer exposure. What are the implications for public health? These experiments highlight the importance of good fit to maximize mask performance. There are multiple simple ways to achieve better fit of masks to more effectively slow the spread of COVID-19. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Microbiology Communicable Diseases Coronavirus COVID-19 Filtration Hazardous Substances Health Promotion Occupational Health Pandemics Personal Protective Equipment Public Health Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Risk Assessment Safety Viral Diseases

  More +
• Keywords:
  Public health; Humans; Face masks; Cloth filters; Surgical masks; N95 filtering facepiece respirators; Respiratory equipment; Respiratory protection; Respiratory protective equipment; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Disease prevention; Disease transmission; Viral diseases; Infection control; Risk management; Health communications; Recommendations; Hazard controls; Fit testing; Effectiveness research
• Source:
  MMWR 2021 Feb; 70(7):254-257
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  4 pdf pages
• Volume:
  70
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062030
• Contact Point Address:
  John T. Brooks, CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, Atlanta, GA
• Email:
  zud4@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d17a57b1c2ffe85bde65bdbc51a5098b4c9b224259590a47fad33b55a6d6902356738f3f635853124e95b1d059d53838a1bd8eddd247a8b8da3e89360c500f8c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/102366/cdc_102366_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 173.76 KB ]