Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Duke Study: One Mask Type Spreads COVID-19 Faster. Will MLB Take Note?
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
August 10, 2020

Share

For months, the message has been pretty simple. Wear a mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Now, many months into the pandemic we have a clearer picture of which masks work and which actually spread the virus.

Researchers at Duke University created a simple technique to analyze the effectiveness of various masks.

They tested 14 commonly available masks or mask alternatives and a professionally fit-tested N95 mask.

How the Study was Conducted

In the study published Friday, researchers with Duke’s physics department demonstrated a method that uses a laser beam and cell phone to evaluate mask efficiency and the transmission of respiratory droplets during normal speech.

A laser beam is expanded vertically by a cylindrical lens and shined through slits in the enclosure. The camera is located at the back of the box, a hole for the speaker in the front. The inset shows scattering for water particles from a spray bottle with the front of the box removed. (Duke University/Martin Fischer)

A subject wore a face mask and spoke into the direction of an expanded laser beam inside a dark enclosure. Droplets that propagate through the laser beam scatter light, which is recorded with a cell phone camera. A simple computer algorithm was used to count the droplets in the video.

Here is a video by researchers explaining how they did the study and some of the results they witnessed.

Best Masks: N95, Hand-Made Cotton

The researchers report the best face coverings were N95 masks without valves – hospital-grade coverings used by front-line healthcare workers. Surgical or polypropylene masks also performed well.

But hand-made cotton face coverings provided good coverage, eliminating a substantial amount of the spray.

Worst Masks: Bandanas, Neck Fleeces

“There are some masks actually hurt rather than do good,” said Duke’s Martin Fischer, an associate research chemistry and physics professor.

Bandanas and neck fleeces (also called gaiters) such as balaclavas didn’t block the droplets much at all. The study showed the neck fleece disperses larger droplets into several smaller droplets, therefore increasing the droplet count. The research on these masks showed it would actually be better to wear no mask than wear one of these.

“They were no good,” Duke physician Eric Westman said. “The notion that ‘anything is better than nothing’ didn’t hold true.”

The study explains it this way: “Considering that smaller particles are airborne longer than large droplets (larger droplets sink faster), the use of such a mask might be counterproductive.”

[covid-19-tracker]

Major League Baseball Gaiters

Fans started reaching out to Major League Baseball via Twitter after the study became public. Many big-leaguers are wearing gaiters, and baseball is battling positive coronavirus tests among players.

GV Wire℠ asked Dr. Westman if MLB should consider doing away with the gaiters in light of his study. “The simple, yet untested, answer would be to wear two or three at a time, rather than not wear them at all,” said Westman by email.

GV Wire℠ reached out to MLB public relations via email and didn’t receive a response.

The company that makes the face coverings has tweeted pictures of players wearing them in an effort to promote sales. GV Wire℠ sent an email to FOCO media relations for a response. MLBshop.com has gaiters available for every team.

DON'T MISS

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Overnight Leaves More Than 50 Palestinians Dead

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Seek Three Suspects in Credit Card Fraud Case

DON'T MISS

Ohtani’s Walk-off Homer Boosts Dodgers to 8-0 With Another Comeback Win

DON'T MISS

Colorado Man Charged with Pointing Laser at Fresno Sheriff Helicopter

DON'T MISS

Hungary to Exit ICC as Netanyahu Visits Amid Arrest Warrant Dispute

DON'T MISS

Rubio Visits NATO Amid European Alarm Over Trump’s Agenda

DON'T MISS

Dow Drops 1,200 as US Stock Market Leads a Worldwide Sell-off Following Trump’s Tariff Shock

DON'T MISS

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

DON'T MISS

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

UP NEXT

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

UP NEXT

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

UP NEXT

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

UP NEXT

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Reps. Costa, Gray Propose Bill to Address Critical Doctor Shortage in Rural Areas

UP NEXT

Here’s How the New NFL Rules on Kickoffs and Overtime Will Work

UP NEXT

Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities

UP NEXT

Webb Pitches 7 Strong Innings as Giants Beat Astros

Colorado Man Charged with Pointing Laser at Fresno Sheriff Helicopter

28 minutes ago

Hungary to Exit ICC as Netanyahu Visits Amid Arrest Warrant Dispute

39 minutes ago

Rubio Visits NATO Amid European Alarm Over Trump’s Agenda

43 minutes ago

Dow Drops 1,200 as US Stock Market Leads a Worldwide Sell-off Following Trump’s Tariff Shock

49 minutes ago

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

14 hours ago

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

18 hours ago

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

18 hours ago

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

19 hours ago

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

19 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

19 hours ago

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Overnight Leaves More Than 50 Palestinians Dead

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — Overnight strikes by Israel killed at least 55 people across the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Thursday, a...

9 minutes ago

Yamama Jundia, 13, injured in an Israeli airstrike, grieves alongside others over the bodies of their relatives, who were killed in the same strike, at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
9 minutes ago

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Overnight Leaves More Than 50 Palestinians Dead

Clovis police are seeking public help in identifying three suspects involved in a credit card fraud case after a stolen card was used at Best Buy and Target. (Clovis PD)
17 minutes ago

Clovis Police Seek Three Suspects in Credit Card Fraud Case

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits a walk-off solo home run against as Atlanta Braves catcher Atlanta Braves' Chadwick Tromp looks on during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP/Kevork Djansezian)
22 minutes ago

Ohtani’s Walk-off Homer Boosts Dodgers to 8-0 With Another Comeback Win

28 minutes ago

Colorado Man Charged with Pointing Laser at Fresno Sheriff Helicopter

Hungary’s ICC withdrawal aligns with Netanyahu’s defiance of his arrest warrant, straining EU relations and raising global concerns.
39 minutes ago

Hungary to Exit ICC as Netanyahu Visits Amid Arrest Warrant Dispute

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony at the Department of State in Washington on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Rubio traveled to Brussels on Thursday for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers amid high anxiety over the Trump administration’s approach to Europe, including the war in Ukraine, relations with Russia and President Trump’s growing trade war with the continent. (Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times)
43 minutes ago

Rubio Visits NATO Amid European Alarm Over Trump’s Agenda

49 minutes ago

Dow Drops 1,200 as US Stock Market Leads a Worldwide Sell-off Following Trump’s Tariff Shock

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined from left by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., as they speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
14 hours ago

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend