Low-cost measurement of facemask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech
2020
Mandates for mask use in public during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, worsened by
global shortage of commercial supplies, have led to widespread use of homemade
masks and mask alternatives. It is assumed that wearing such masks reduces the
likelihood for an infected person to spread the disease, but many of these mask
designs have not been tested in practice. We have demonstrated a simple optical
measurement method to evaluate the efficacy of masks to reduce the transmission
of respiratory droplets during regular speech. In proof-of-principle studies, we
compared a variety of commonly available mask types and observed that some mask
types approach the performance of standard surgical masks, while some mask
alternatives, such as neck fleece or bandanas, offer very little protection. Our
measurement setup is inexpensive and can be built and operated by non-experts,
allowing for rapid evaluation of mask performance during speech, sneezing, or
coughing.
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