Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has swept the whole world with high mortality. Since droplet transmission is the main route of transmission, wearing a mask serves as a crucial preventive measure. However, the virus has spread quite quickly, causing severe mask shortage. Finding alternative materials for homemade masks while ensuring the significant performance indicators will help alleviate the shortage of masks. Referring to the national standard for the “Surgical Mask” of China, 17 materials to be selected for homemade masks were tested in four key indicators: pressure difference, particle filtration efficiency, bacterial filtration efficiency and resistance to surface wetting. Eleven single-layer materials met the standard of pressure difference (≤49 Pa), of which 3 met the standard of resistance to surface wetting (≥3), 1 met the standard of particle filtration efficiency (≥30%), but none met the standard of bacterial filtration efficiency (≥95%). Based on the testing results of single-layer materials, fifteen combinations of paired materials were tested. The results showed that three double-layer materials including double-layer medical non-woven fabric, medical non-woven fabric plus non-woven shopping bag, and medical non-woven fabric plus granular tea towel could meet all the standards of pressure difference, particle filtration efficiency, and resistance to surface wetting, and were close to the standard of the bacterial filtration efficiency. In conclusion, if resources are severely lacking and medical masks cannot be obtained, homemade masks using available materials, based on the results of this study, can minimize the chance of infection to the maximum extent.
Highlights
In December 2019, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak occurred in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province
Up to April 12, 2020, the outbreak has hit all provinces in China and 210 countries across the globe [1], which was declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) [2]
The pressure difference, particle filtration efficiency and bacterial filtration efficiency were determined by the test method stipulated in the standard of YY0469-2011 "Surgical Masks", and resistance to surface wetting was tested in line with the test method stipulated in the standard of GB/T4745-2012 "Textiles-Testing and evaluation for water resistance-Spray test method"
Summary
In December 2019, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak occurred in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province. MacIntyre et al [6] showed that adherence to masks significantly reduces the risk of influenza infection (HR = 0.26, 95%CI 0.09–0.77). Brienen et al [7] showed that population-wide use of face masks could make an important contribution in delaying an influenza pandemic. Fisher et al [10], Viscusi et al [11] have explored methods to alleviate the shortage of masks through reuse after disinfection and prolonged use time. Davies et al [13] reported eight kinds of materials such as T-shirts, vacuum cleaner bag, tea cloth and pillowcases, significantly reduced the number of microorganisms expelled, the surgical mask was three times more effective in blocking transmission than the homemade mask. Homemade masks using civilian materials is of great value in extreme cases of masks shortage
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
