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#150333 - 09/29/08 01:06 AM face mask pattern
Tirec Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 08/24/07
Posts: 53
Loc: Rocky Mountain West
If there's a pandemic type emergency where face masks are necessary, a supply of disposable masks could be quickly depleted. I know that N95 or better would be preferred, but may not be necessary for all situations.

From what I've gleaned, masks are actually more helpful for those who are sick to prevent the spread of disease, but there is some protection for those not sick. And it would be better than a simple handkerchief.

Years ago, fabric masks were used in the medical world. My thinking is that a white mask with several layers of fabric which provides pretty good protection could be washed in bleach to allow reuse. In a long term situation, reuse of supplies is critical.

Does anyone have a pattern, web link, or some pictures of these old style masks from which to fashion a mask? Any recommendations for the type of fabric(s) which could/should be used?

Thanks.

Tirec


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#150340 - 09/29/08 05:27 AM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Tirec]
Art_in_FL Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/01/07
Posts: 2432
I would think that sewing a mask would be pretty simple. Pretty self explanatory. A rectangular face piece with or without darts for fitting and four tails of either sewn straps or woven cotton tape. The thickness or number of layers of the face piece could be varied according to the material used, degree of filtration desired and an acceptable level of resistance to the breath. Antibacterial treated cloth may be an option.

Plugging the terms: "sewing pattern surgical mask" into Google got me a few useful results. The most promising of these:

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/hospital.html

http://www.lds.org/ldsfoundation/multimedia/files/pdf/51241_surgicalmask_pdf.pdf




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#150346 - 09/29/08 01:15 PM Re: face mask pattern [Re: ]
Grouch Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 07/02/08
Posts: 395
Loc: Ohio
I'm sure that a crucial point with any mask is the fit. If the harmful stuff can still be inhaled/ingested due to poor fit, the mask's material is irrelevant.

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#150355 - 09/29/08 02:36 PM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Grouch]
Lono Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 10/19/06
Posts: 1013
Loc: Pacific NW, USA
Correct, fit is essential, otherwise the germs come in with whatever you breath. I'll admit to being at the extreme, but a $110 3M Series 6000 whole facemask / respirator makes some sense for me in the event of a pandemic.

- one, my dad is in assisted living, a very high risk population. I can visit and hope to remain unexposed, assist with his care if necessary, as long as I take precautions.
- two, same for community volunteers who opt to help with care and body disposal as the pandemic works its way through the population. I am not certain that I will volunteer for this (assuming I'm not struck down by the flu right off), I haven't made up my mind. Under normal circumstances my city might give a volunteer a facemask respirator, or have me share one with another worker, while we're working. Or, they might be under-prepared and ask us to wear a half-mask, or N95, which may not provide adequate protection.
- three, going in to work puts me in an environment with lots of recirculated air, no way would I stay there any longer than is necessary. I can work remotely.
- four, in the event a family member gets sick I can work with a whole facemask and minimize my exposure still.

I'm seriously thinking of additional masks for my wife and immediate family - 'just in case.' My wife thinks I'm nuts, my brother in law the doctor thinks its not a bad idea. We agree though, I'm just as likely to come down with the flu early in any pandemic as not, someone else might use my mask - but the precautions and barriers you have if you are not infected will make a big difference. Odds are good our kids will get sick and get us sick. Life's a crapshoot.

$110 or so for a facemask, another $30 for enough N95 particulate filters to last through a pandemic (estimated at 2 12 week episodes), plus a heavy supply of alcohol based wipes to clean the mask between uses (also essential). I think $10 for the attachment for my prescription lenses. When I costed out an equivalent number of disposable N95 masks, the facemask was only a little bit more expensive for the duration of an expected pandemic. I think OSHA did a study of this as well.

But make sure it fits, try it on with the help of someone who knows what they're doing, and wear the mask around during expected work for a while to ensure a proper fit and the fact you can tolerate it for the expected timeframe.

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#150359 - 09/29/08 03:39 PM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Lono]
Grouch Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 07/02/08
Posts: 395
Loc: Ohio
Originally Posted By: Lono
But make sure it fits, try it on with the help of someone who knows what they're doing, and wear the mask around during expected work for a while to ensure a proper fit and the fact you can tolerate it for the expected timeframe.


Being able to actually use a mask is something that many don't consider beforehand, so I wholeheartedly agree that it should be tried out to make sure that it will be tolerable. Restricted breathing, restricted field of view and perspiration/fogging are potential problems when wearing full face masks.

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#150371 - 09/29/08 04:51 PM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Lono]
nursemike Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 870
Loc: wellington, fl
Originally Posted By: Lono
Correct, fit is essential, otherwise the germs come in with whatever you breath. I'll admit to being at the extreme, but a $110 3M Series 6000 whole facemask / respirator makes some sense for me in the event of a pandemic.

Life's a crapshoot.


I spent a lot of time working with patients who had hideously transmissible diseases or were at risk of getting hideously transmissible diseases, so I spent a lot of time in various types of personal protective equipment. Surgical masks are designed to keep stuff from flying out of your facial orifices and falling into the incision. Fabric or fiber masks seem to work fine for this application, and are also the usual choice for reverse isolation in non-surgical settings. Avoiding exposure to incoming infectious material requires more technology; N95 masks keep 95% of particulates out of your respiratory passages without being real tough to inspire through. tho I can't wear one if I am doing any active stuff, cause they don't let the air in and out fast enough. The best portable solution I have used was a tyvek hood with a battery powered hepa filtered fan (PAPR (powered air purifying respirator) that pushed filtered air into the hood-no fit issues, less claustrophobia, and plenty of air exchange. Spendy, though. But any of the lung-powered filtration units will place significant restriction on air movement, and will tire the user out pretty fast. The other issue is eye protection-the hood solves the problem, as doe the full face mask-but, since the eyes are not moving air in amd out like the respiratory bits, goggles provide significant protection, too. And all of it, and the wearer, need to be decontaminated before removal of the protective equipment.
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#150394 - 09/29/08 07:36 PM Re: face mask pattern [Re: nursemike]
Lono Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 10/19/06
Posts: 1013
Loc: Pacific NW, USA
Roger on that - the PAPR hoods are pretty spendy, outside my reach. I've spent some drill time during S&R, moving heavy stuff to simulate digging in rubble, the N95 mask with an exhalation valve helps alot over an N95 without one, but it really does wear you down to breath exclusively through them. And I found that eventually the N95 tends to collapse on the sides, allowing air to infiltrate (this was when I tested masks while chainsawing, after 2 hours the N95 was pretty collapsed, and so was I). I also have a half-face mask and combine that with closed goggles when I paint or sand, my glasses steam so bad though its not very conducive to working very much, only the cheaper type of goggles that look like glasses themselves and fit over the top of my glasses really work. I'll take my chances with the full face mask, and try to keep my exertions down, and stay within my limitations.

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#150402 - 09/29/08 09:19 PM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Tirec]
ironraven Offline
Cranky Geek
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 09/08/05
Posts: 4642
Loc: Vermont
They are pretty much a must have in much of Asia for cultural reasons during flu season. ESPECIALLY in Japan. If you look at a crowd scene in any of their major cities in the winter and spring and you'll see a couple people using them.

But I don't know if their rate of transmission is any better than ours.
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When a man dare not speak without malice for fear of giving insult, that is when truth starts to die. Truth is the truest freedom.

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#150425 - 09/30/08 12:30 AM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Grouch]
Art_in_FL Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/01/07
Posts: 2432
Originally Posted By: Grouch
I'm sure that a crucial point with any mask is the fit. If the harmful stuff can still be inhaled/ingested due to poor fit, the mask's material is irrelevant.


I think your drifting into all-or-nothing thinking. No filter system is absolutely perfect, ever. And attaching any filter onto a human only makes things worse. It is pretty well understood full-face gas masks and hoods have a certain percentage failure because the wearer fails to get it on correctly. And even when all procedures are followed human skin isn't an ideal material to seal to. As the person moves small leaks are pretty much inevitable.

What gets lost is that in most cases absolute perfection, while desirable, is not necessary. We are often surrounded by toxins and infectious agents. But the body is not entirely defenseless. A single bacteria has little chance of survival on its own. It is pretty much a sure thing that everyone has some exposure to infectious agents if they are present at all. Only a few of those exposed, those who get exposed to large populations, typically millions in a droplet that can give the infective agent a localized quorum within the body, suffer. As with anything else dose is critical.

The same is true of chemical agents. Protective equipment doesn't entirely eliminate the agent. It just keep the exposure to an acceptable minimum. In this even a simple filter mask shifts the percentages in your favor.

Don't think that just because you can't obtain some idealized protective system that it does no good to use a simpler system. A simple cloth mask has an effect. Don't fail to take advantage of what you have on hand and what you can get now because it isn't as good as what you would like to have.

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#150435 - 09/30/08 01:36 AM Re: face mask pattern [Re: Art_in_FL]
Tirec Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 08/24/07
Posts: 53
Loc: Rocky Mountain West
Thanks for the links, replies and comments.

It sounds like for most situations, anything which restricts bad particles from reaching the respiratory system is certainly better than nothing, and the better the fit, the more that's inhibited. It's critical for the sick to at least try to prevent the spread of disease from the mouth & nose by wearing a mask.

I think I'll try adding a wire of band of some type to the top of the pad to get a better fit over the bridge of the nose, similar to many of the partial face masks with the tab over the nose.

THANKS!

Tirec.

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