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Why N95 masks are hard to make

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Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#21

Post by Dylan16807 »

groby_b wrote: post #5
ironmagma wrote: post #3

This is the price we pay for outsourcing our manufacturing capabilities. We should have kept in-house manufacturing alive, there is plenty of capacity for it here in the States.

That's complete and utter bullshit. There is not enough capacity to make N95 masks. China retooled entire factories to make enough just for their outbreak. There's a global shortage of N95 masks. Maybe save your nativism until we're done with this.

You don't seem to be claiming anything they said is wrong, so why are you being so insulting?

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#22

Post by treparist »

droithomme wrote: post #17
treparist wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surgical and homemade masks are much better than nothing. /Thats basically a misinformation. They are completely useless, and if you dont change them each 40-50 minutes - bring you more damage then good

"masks are completely useless" That is entirely false and you are posting damaging unscientific misinformation that harms people. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903134732.h... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/ Nice you could create a brand new just created account just to shitpost though, thanks for such effort to harm people. Why not post using your real HN account instead?

I though we are talking about COVID

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#23

Post by dang »

droithomme wrote: post #17
treparist wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surgical and homemade masks are much better than nothing. /Thats basically a misinformation. They are completely useless, and if you dont change them each 40-50 minutes - bring you more damage then good

"masks are completely useless" That is entirely false and you are posting damaging unscientific misinformation that harms people. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903134732.h... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/ Nice you could create a brand new just created account just to shitpost though, thanks for such effort to harm people. Why not post using your real HN account instead?

Don't attack others like this on HN. If someone is wrong, it's enough to provide correct information. Lashing out or trying to punish is harmful in more than one way: it damages the container and discredits the truth. (On the last point see https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...)

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#24

Post by markdown »

droithomme wrote: post #9

I made a dozen good homemade masks in a few hours, and I am inept at sewing. With some practice I could make 200 a day. There's no point to doing so, it would be illegal for me to sell them. US is doing nothing whatsoever to ramp up mask or ventilator production. It's going to result in a lot of deaths.

> There's no point to doing so, it would be illegal for me to sell them.

Surely only making medical claims is illegal. You could sell them as a fashion accessory, with all sorts of funky designs. Make masks fashionable and desirable just like funky socks were made cool.

Just make sure to make it clear in your sales copy (not in fine print) that the masks are a fashion item only, don't protect against COVID19, and "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA" or whatever the asscovering stuff you have to write is.

Personally I find the expert opinion on the efficacy of such masks ("unless they're n95, they're useless") nonsensical. If there's a difference between standing 1m and 3m away from an infected person, there's gotta be added value to one or both of you having a covered mouth, regardless of the material the covering is made of.

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#25

Post by aaavl2821 »

droithomme wrote: post #2

Surgical and homemade masks are much better than nothing. And by better than nothing we mean reasonably effective. Going into close contact with a person who has a known transmissible respiratory illness? N95 is minimum if you are a professional. And get your union to scream bloody murder if you are not allowed this essential safety equipment, and put complaints in writing so your heirs can later sue to oblivion. Try…

That may be true. However, if you are a normal citizen (not a healthcare worker) and you have N95 masks, you should strongly consider donating them to healthcare providers right now

There are huge shortages of these masks in most US hospitals, even in areas with limited cases (cant speak for other coutnries but assume the same is true). HCPs are forced to either treat patients without wearing masks, guaranteeing high exposure to virus, or not care for patients

If you are sheltering in place (as you should be doing if you are healhty), N95 masks wont help you much. THey will 100% help HCPs

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#26

Post by Leary »

"Currently, of the 200 million masks China makes a day, only 600,000 are N95 standard masks, used by medical personnel, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, a state planning body. "

Wow, that is not enough.

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#27

Post by 1996 »

treparist wrote: post #12
droithomme wrote: post #2

Surgical and homemade masks are much better than nothing. And by better than nothing we mean reasonably effective. Going into close contact with a person who has a known transmissible respiratory illness? N95 is minimum if you are a professional. And get your union to scream bloody murder if you are not allowed this essential safety equipment, and put complaints in writing so your heirs can later sue to oblivion. Try…

Surgical and homemade masks are much better than nothing. /Thats basically a misinformation. They are completely useless, and if you dont change them each 40-50 minutes - bring you more damage then good

> Thats basically a misinformation. They are completely useless, and if you dont change them each 40-50 minutes - bring you more damage then good

Evidence required.

If mist forms on my glasses from breathing, I assume the mask must be doing something.

I read a comment the other day on how many efforts are impeded by the "quest for perfection"

I know such homemade masks are not 100% proof. But even if they only work to reduce 10% of the risks if everybody wore them, than can be the difference between a R0 of 1.1 and 1.0 - and gives great results overall.

Don't just think about yourself. We are young and at no real risk of dying (0.1%, whatever). But we may cause the death of other people by simply contaminating more people.

Small actions are better than doing nothing when facing exponential growth

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#28

Post by Ixqprint »

In fact, ordinary people do not need N95 masks. General medical surgical masks will do. Even as long as the mask is waterproof. After all, wearing a mask is mainly to prevent the virus from spreading through saliva.

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#29

Post by dan_quixote »

ironmagma wrote: post #3

This is the price we pay for outsourcing our manufacturing capabilities. We should have kept in-house manufacturing alive, there is plenty of capacity for it here in the States.

Easy to say now, but there's just not enough manpower to make _everything_ in house that we deem strategically important. And if the price isn't viable on the free market, how is it justifiable long term? I generally agree with your sentiment though.

Re: Why N95 masks are hard to make

#30

Post by SirLuxuryYacht »

droithomme wrote: post #9

I made a dozen good homemade masks in a few hours, and I am inept at sewing. With some practice I could make 200 a day. There's no point to doing so, it would be illegal for me to sell them. US is doing nothing whatsoever to ramp up mask or ventilator production. It's going to result in a lot of deaths.

The article says about masks, that cannot be made en masse. This is due to a flu, which will likely flow through, your fabric and not meltblown pads.
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