Types of Face Masks & How To Protect Yourself From Air Droplets During Coronavirus Pandemic

During this viral pandemic, we may be spending most of our time sitting at home, but we still need to leave the house to do things like grocery shopping or running errands for elderly parents. Besides frequent hand washing and social distancing, there are other precautions to take. None of us want to get sick, so how do we protect ourselves from droplets that may be floating around in the air inside buildings? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best & worst probiotics, best & worst cookware, & what to do when you receive packages at the door, now join us for the differences between face masks and how to protect yourself from the Coronavirus while at the grocery store.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. 

What to Do to Protect Yourself From the Coronavirus

You’ve probably heard this advice a thousand times, but we are going to give it to you again.

• Wash your hands as often as possible for at least 20 seconds making sure to interlock and interlace your hands in varying ways to get every crevice, but don’t forget to also get your thumbs, wrists, and under nails.
• Wash your hands especially before you eat or drink anything
• Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands
• Stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing
• Keep at least 6-10 feet between you and other people in a room or outside
• Disinfect surfaces in your home daily–front doorknobs, kitchen counters, bathroom counters, faucets, stair railings, & tables
• Stay at home as much as possible and practice social distancing
• Wash all laundry on the hot cycle
• Open the window to ventilate the room
• Don’t forget to sanitize your cell phone and steering wheel after and before use
• Do NOT bite your fingernails and keep them short during this time

The Doctor Is In: Recommendations from Pediatric Advisor Dr. Tanya Altmann

We reached out to our main pediatric advisor, Dr. Tanya Altmann who founded Calabasas Pediatrics and is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Here were her recommendations:

• Avoid consuming alcohol or large quantities of sugar.
• Eat lots of fruit and veggies. If you can’t get fresh, frozen is just as good!
• Do NOT smoke right now for any reason. Come on! You know why!
• “Always talk to your doctor about medications. In general, medications like steroids are not recommended for patients who have COVID-19 because it suppresses your immune system and could potentially enable worsening illness” says Dr. Tanya Altmann.
• Supplementation for older kids & adults: Dr. Tanya recommends taking Vitamin D, 1500 mg Vitamin C, Zinc and Quercitin to keep you healthy at this time.
• Supplementation for children: Dr. Tanya recommends taking Vitamin D, 1000 mg of Vitamin C, & Zinc.
• Better OTC Drugs: Do NOT take Motrin or Ibuprofen right now. Take Tylenol instead.

One Big Bad Chemical Inside Your Home to Avoid Right Now As Much As Possible–PFAS

Perfluorinated (PFAS) chemicals give materials grease-resistance, water-resistance, or non-stick qualities and are linked to with depressing your immune system and making vaccines less effective. Every American has this chemical inside their body because it’s found all over your home and inside things you would never anticipate.

Remember Thinx Period Panties? Found them there. You know those cardboard-colored bowls at Chipotle? Guilty. You know your stain-resistant carpet? It’s there. Mamavation wants to help you find the items coated in this chemical, so you can make decisions on what is important to you. You won’t be able to get rid of all of it, but there are better swaps we’ve found below inside the investigations we’ve done over the years.

• Phase-out the nonstick cookware in your kitchen. Here are the best alternatives.
• Swap your period panties to ones without PFAS. Here are the best & worst period panties.
• Make sure your tooth floss doesn’t have PFAS. Here are the best brands.
• Avoid foods with packaging and make things from scratch as much as you can from home
• If you purchase disposable plates, make sure to purchase the ones without PFAS. Here’s are those selections. 
• Avoid fast food as much as possible, even the ones touting themselves as “better.” Some wrappers and cane sugar fiber bowls like the ones at Chipotle contain PFAS chemicals to repel grease & water.
• Purchase a reverse osmosis water system for your home, especially if you live close to a military base or airport.
• When purchasing furniture or carpet, decline optional treatments for stain and dirt resistance. This is where you can find safer furniture. New good news: Home Depot phases our PFAS in Carpeting & Rugs
• Avoid buying clothing that bears a label indicating it’s water, stain or dirt repellant
• Avoid buying personal care products with the phrase “fluoro” or “perfluoro” on the ingredient list. You’ll find this inside lotion, pressed powders, nail polish, dental floss, and shaving cream.
• Dust more!  PFAS chemicals stick to dust particles so the more dust you have in your home, the more likely you will have PFAS in the air you breathe. Click here for our FREE eBook on how to clean your indoor air. 
• PFAS in Grocery Stores–Food Packaging (plates, bowls, take-out, etc)

Coronavirus is Incredibly Contagious While Inside Closed Spaces Like Grocery Stores

When you are inside a building, there isn’t a natural wind system like outside so things have more staying power. When it comes to the coronavirus, invisible microscopic droplets may be floating around the air from someone who has recently passed through that area that may have coughed or sneezed. Although health professionals are not as worried about this as much as shaking hands or coughing on someone, no one knows the true risk. They are literally learning as they go, so as usual, we follow the precautionary principle.

In addition, you’ll need to take some precautions when handling groceries. A recent study led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that SARS-CoV-2 (formerly known as HCoV-19 originating in Wuhan, China), has the ability to live on certain surfaces for days. The stability of the SARS-CoV-2 was analyzed to determine their decay rate to give the public actionable information on what to do with food packaging and shipping in their homes. The following information was found during this study on SARS-CoV-2 by the National Institutes of Health:

• Virus more stable on plastic and stainless steel than cardboard and copper
• Virus detected up to 72 hours (3 days) on plastic & stainless steel, starts to decay after 6.8 hours for plastic and 5.6 hours for stainless steel
• Virus detected up to 24 hours (1 day) on cardboard, and couldn’t determine when it decays
• Virus NOT detected after 4 hours on copper
• Virus starts to decay in aerosols after 1.2 hours

To protect yourself from air droplets, we recommend you cover most of your face, eyes, mouth & hair and wear clothing that covers your entire body. In addition to that, we recommend washing your groceries (or quarantining them) before putting them into the cabinet or refrigerator. Keep reading and we will go over the plan in detail at the end.

Types of Face Masks to Protect Yourself From Air Droplets

During this pandemic where health care professionals are not able to acquire enough personal protective equipment (PPEs) to protect themselves, we are going to show you all the options available to you and link up masks that are just a step down from what the health care professionals use. These are the ones we are recommending you get and they’ve been linked up to Amazon for your convenience.

Full-Length Face Shield: Ideal for health care professionals when dealing with coronavirus and worn with N95 Masks.

• Made of plastic and creates a barrier in front of face
• Protects mask and face from direct splatter
• May prolong mask life

N95 Masks: Ideal for close contact use when treating patients with airborne diseases such as TB or influenza.

• Restricted to health professionals only during the coronavirus pandemic (meaning you can’t find on Amazon)
• Meets CE 0121 – In reference to EN 149: 2001 FFP2 NR
• High fluid resistance: 160 mmHg, i.e., mask resistance to penetration by synthetic blood under pressure (mmHg)
• Filtration efficiency: PFE (% of submicron particles filtered at 0.1 microns) = 99.9% @ 0.1 micron
• Breathability-Delta P: >5.0 mm H2O/cm2, pressure drop across mask or resistance to airflow in mmH2O/cm2

ASTM Level 3 Masks: Ideal for procedures where heavy to moderate amounts of fluid, spray and/or aerosols are produced.

• Meets EN14683 Rating – Type IIR Standard.
• High Fluid Resistance: 160 mmHg, mask resistance to penetration by synthetic blood under pressure (mmHg)
• Filtration Efficiency: BFE (% of aerosol particles filtered at a size of 3 microns) ≥ 98%, PFE (% of submicron particles filtered at 0.1 microns) ≥ 98% @ 0.1 micron
• Breathability-Delta P: < 5.0 mm H2O/cm2, pressure drop across mask or resistance to airflow in mmH2O/cm2
• Click here to find ASTM Level 3 Masks on Amazon

ASTM Level 2: Ideal for procedures where moderate to light amounts of fluid, spray and/or aerosols are produced.

• Meets EN14683 Rating – Type IIR Standard
• Moderate Fluid Resistance: 120 mmHg, mask resistance to penetration by synthetic blood under pressure (mmHg)
• Filtration Efficiency: BFE (% of aerosol particles filtered at a size of 3 microns) ≥ 98%, PFE (% of submicron particles filtered at 0.1 microns)≥ 98% @ 0.1 micron
• Breathability-Delta P:  < 5.0 mm H2O/cm2, pressure drop across mask or resistance to airflow in mmH2O/cm2
• Click here to find ASTM Level 2 Masks on Amazon

ASTM Level 1: Ideal for procedures where low amounts of fluid, spray and/or aerosols are produced.

• Meets EN14683 Rating – Type II Standard.
• Low Fluid Resistance: 80 mmHg, mask resistance to penetration by synthetic blood under pressure (mmHg)
• Filtration Efficiency: BFE (% of aerosol particles filtered at a size of 3 microns) ≥ 95%, PFE (% of submicron particles filtered at 0.1 microns) ≥ 95% @ 0.1 micron
• Breathability-Delta P: < 4.0 mm H2O/cm2, pressure drop across mask or resistance to airflow in mmH2O/cm2
• Click here to find ASTM Level 1 Masks on Amazon

Surgical Molded Utility Mask: Ideal as a comfortable substitute for earloop face masks, this mask is a simple physical barrier for exams and visitations or for dry, short procedures that do not produce fluid, spray or aerosols.

• Meets no standards
• Physical barrier only
• No filtration efficiency

Scarf Wrapped Around Mouth: Ideal for people who don’t have access to face masks of any kind to protect themselves as they are in closed buildings.

• Meets no standards
• Physical barrier only
• No filtration efficiency
• Here’s a tutorial on how to wrap your scarf to cover your mouth & hair.

Can Coronavirus Live On Your Hair?

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that the virus could be viable for “hours to days” but nothing has been done to study the vitality of coronavirus on hair. However, we already know that it has the ability to live on certain surfaces for up to three days like plastic and stainless steel. But hair is very different because it’s attached to you, will increase in natural oil throughout the day, and moving with you while being exposed to air.

According to Dr. Adam Friedman, the interim chair of dermatology at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, there may be some things to be aware of when it comes to your hair.

“If you were to just rip out a few strands of hair, put them down and someone who’s positive for corona sneezed on it, could the virus live on that hair, which has been ripped out and is no longer part of the human system? From what we are seeing from a New England Journal of Medicine paper, it’s very possible it could live on that surface for up to three days.”

He later explains that hair on your head is protected by a natural layer of oil that covers the strands as a protectant. That oil doesn’t completely protect you so the best way to protect yourself is to wash your hair daily. He also recommends that you tie back your hair so it’s not falling in your face and stop running your hands through your hair during this pandemic.

Out of precaution, Mamavation is recommending you cover your hair when you go out. And if you don’t want to cover your hair, wash it when you get home.

How to Cover Up & Protect Yourself From the Coronavirus When Going Inside a Closed Space

Before you leave the house, we want to make sure all the most important parts are covered, especially if you are going to be in a building with other people around. This means you’ll need to cover up a bit more than you are used to in order to protect yourself from suspended droplets that may be floating in the air and on surfaces.

• Wrap your hair in a scarf so that no hair is exposed. There are different ways to do this, but some of my favorite are here and here. And you can pick up a simple pashmina scarf here in any color.
• Cover your mouth with a face mask or wrap your scarf like this to cover mouth too.
• Cover your eyes with eyeglasses or large sunglasses. Yes, I’m asking you to shop with your sunglasses on or something that protects your eyes so you can’t touch them.
• Wear reusable gloves or disposable gloves
• Spray down the steering wheel with hand sanitizer before and after use
• Keep at least 10 feet away from others inside closed spaces

What to Do When You Get Home to Decontaminate

When you get home from your outing, you’ll need to decontaminate in a way that doesn’t recontaminate yourself and keeps your family safe at the same time. Here are some of the steps we have been following based on tips from our advisors and the most recent studies on how the virus lives on surfaces:

• Rub the steering wheel down with hand sanitizer and go into the house
• Leave the groceries in your car if you have an attached garage. If not, bring them inside your home but do not let others touch them until you are done.
• Take off your sunglasses, scarf, & face mask and set in a special place that you only go to when you are leaving the house. Set your purse aside as well. (Consider these your dirty objects)
• Wash your sunglasses down with rubbing alcohol or disinfectant wipes
• Wash your cell phone down with rubbing alcohol or disinfectant wipes
• Wash the plastic or stainless steel wrapping on your groceries with soap and water or wipe down with a disinfectant. (Or you can quarantine things for a day in your garage or another place.)
• Take off your clothes and put them in the dirty laundry
• Wash your hands for 20 seconds and if you exposed your arms, wash them as well (or take a shower)
• Put on a fresh pair of clothes
• Gargle with an antiseptic rinse
• Drink some hot tea or hot water with lemon immediately following. (This is not a recommendation that has any studies behind in via western medicine, but important for people practicing Chinese medicine.)
• Wash your hands again for 20 seconds

Stay safe out there and let us know what you are doing to stay safe in your home!