7:00 PM
Thursday 24 September 2020
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I wrote – Noor Ibrahim:
A Japanese study warned that plastic face masks (Face Shield) do not work effectively, and allow nearly 100% of the small airborne droplets released by infected people through talking, sneezing or coughing to escape through those masks, and cause infection with the Coronavirus .
The study conducted by researchers at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University and published in the first of September in the journal Physics of Fluids, surprisingly, proved that these masks pose a danger because they do not protect against the virus, according to what was reported by the British newspaper “Daily Mail”.
The Japanese study revealed that plastic face masks are completely ineffective in trapping respiratory aerosols to counter Covid 19 infection, and through simulations using Fugaku, the fastest supercomputer in the world, it has proven that nearly 100% of airborne droplets less than 5 micrometers have leaked Through the plastic masks used by workers in service fields (one micrometer equals one millionth of a meter), about half of the larger drops measuring 50 micrometres found their way into the air.
The result of this study contradicts what the World Health Organization said previously, that “Elvis Shield” can help prevent the virus, with the necessity to follow other safety measures such as wearing a mask and being careful with social distancing and frequent hand washing.
But Makoto Tsubukura, the leader of the study team that was conducted at the Riken Center in Japan, warned against wearing these masks, and said that their effectiveness in preventing drops from spreading from the mouth of an infected person is limited compared to masks.
He added that this is especially true for small drops whose size is less than 20 micrometers, noting that all smaller drops also leak, and that “Elvis Shield” is effective for droplets larger than 50 micrometers.
Tsubukura suggested that people with basic respiratory problems and young children wear face shields but only if they are outdoors or indoors that are well and properly ventilated.
The Fugaku computer, which can perform more than 415 quadrillion calculations per second, found that face masks made of (surgical) non-woven fabric are more effective in preventing the spread of corona through airborne droplets than those made of cotton and polyester.
The 130 billion yen (£ 970 million) supercomputer also performed simulations of how respiratory droplets spread in divided office spaces and on crowded trains when wagon windows are open.
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