Research Report on Effectiveness of Masks

This is a research report about masks and how they keep us safe.

The safety device that I chose to research about was masks. A mask keeps us safe from viruses such as COVID-19, it prevents the spread of germs. Masks are a simple covering to help stop respiratory droplets from going into the air when a person coughs, sneezes, talks or screams (Considerations for Wearing Masks). A surgical mask is made up of polypropylene which provides a physical barrier and protection from different droplets present in the environment (Henneberry). An experiment using a high-speed video found out that hundreds of droplets varying from 50-200 micrometers were produced when saying just one word. Nearly all these droplets were blocked when the mouth was covered (Bai). This is how masks work.

Currently, the most relevant problem is Coronavirus. Luckily we have masks to keep us safe and also reduce the spread of this disease. The countries where people were wearing masks significantly reduced the spread of Covid-19 to the countries where it was not implemented by law( Grant.M Gallagher). A report published by “The Lancet” on 3rd June which examined data from 172 studies found that if you wear a mask, there is only a 3% chance that you will catch Coronavirus. Another research recorded that face masks won’t exactly stop you from catching Coronavirus but will lower the chance of you spreading it on (Sophie Gallagher).

I would define masks the best with “Social Factor” because if you are wearing a mask you are not just helping yourself but you are helping your whole community. If someone has the COVID-19 and is showing very less symptoms they should still wear a mask because if a person that is very old or has some other sickness catches it, it may get very serious or critical (Considerations for Wearing Masks).

These are some of the benefits of wearing a mask. A mask keeps us safe from many viruses like Coronavirus. They don’t only keep us safe from COVID-19 but also reduce the spread of this disease. If Someone coughs or sneezes, a mask can keep all the germs in. If someone is sick, wearing a mask can prevent the virus from spreading to other people (Considerations for Wearing Masks).

There are also lots of disadvantages of wearing a mask. For example, you are breathing the same carbon dioxide again and again which can be very bad for you because you are not getting that much fresh air (Reuters). Another downside is that People touch their face 15-23 times per hour on average, a mask that doesn’t fit you or is very uncomfortable may make you touch your face even more regularly. A few studies found out that people have the worst hand hygiene when wearing a mask (Perski and Simons).

In the end, I think it is worth it to wear a mask. There may be a few things that most people don’t like about it. Overall it is better to wear one during a pandemic or if you are sick. If you are not sick then it will prevent you from catching any illness. In conclusion, wear a mask when necessary.

Sources:

 Bai, Nina. “Still Confused about Masks? Here’s the Science Behind How Face Masks Prevent Coronavirus.” Ucfs.edu, Nina Bai, 26 June 2020, www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-prevent (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

Gallagher, Grant M. “Honk Kong Experts: Are Masks an Independently Significant Coronavirus Intervention.” contagionlive.com, Contagion live, 25 June 2020, www.contagionlive.com/news/hong-kong-masks-independently-significant-coronavirus-intervention (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

Gallagher, Sophie. “Coronavirus: How Effective Are Face Masks for Stopping Spread?” Indecent.co.uk, Independent, 6 Oct. 2020, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/face-masks-coverings-coronavirus-do-they-work-shops-transport-a9617666.html (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

Goodman, Jack, and Flora Charmichael. “Coronavirus: ‘Deadly Masks’ claims debunked.” bbc.com, BBC News, 24 July 2020, www.bbc.com/news/53108405 (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

Henneberry, Brittany. “How Surgical Masks are Made.” thomasnet.com, Thomas, 3 Apr. 2020, www.thomasnet.com/articles/other/how-surgical-masks-are-made/

 “Party False Claim: Continually Wearing a Mask Causes Hypercapnia.” Reuters.com, Reuters, 5 May 2020, www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-coronavirus-mask-hypercapni-idUSKBN22H2H1. (Accessed 20 Oct)

Perski, Olga, and David Simons. “Four Potential Consequences of Face Masks We Should Vary of. ” the conversation.co” The Conversation, 22 June 2020, theconversation.com/four-potential-consequences-of-wearing-face-masks-we-need-to-be-wary-of-140273 (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

 U.S Department of health and human services. “Considerations for Wearing Masks.” Centers for disease control and prevention, U.S Department of health and human services, 7 Aug. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html. (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

 “Visualizing Speech-Generated Oral FLuid Droplets with Laser Scattling.”  Visualizing Speech with Oral Fluid Droplets with Laser Scattering, The New England Journal of Medicene, 15 Apr. 2020, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2007800 (Accessed 20 Oct. 2020)

Zara Siddiqui
Grade 6

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