ArticleExtreme Mechanics Letters2020
Performance of fabrics for home-made masks against the spread of COVID-19 through droplets: A quantitative mechanistic study.
Article in Extreme Mechanics Letters, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 158 citations in OpenAlex.
- The filtration performance of fabrics against particles of viral size: a systematic review.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of cloth face masks to prevent viral spread: a meta-analysis.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Guidelines for Frontline Health Care Staff Safety for COVID-19.Journal of primary care & community healthGuideline
- How effective are chest compressions when wearing mask? A randomised simulation study among first-year health care students during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC emergency medicine · 2022Trial
- Identifying the effectiveness of face mask in a large population with a network-based fluid model.PloS one · 2025Article
- Microdroplet Resuspension Off Surfaces.Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids · 2024Article
- Evaluation of the penetration capacity of bacteria through layers of different face mask types and wearing conditions.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Evaluating the spike in the symptomatic proportion of SARS-CoV-2 in China in 2022 with variolation effects: a modeling analysis.Infectious Disease Modelling · 2024Article
- Riboflavin based setup as an alternative method for a preliminary screening of face mask filtration efficiency.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Effect of distributing locally produced cloth facemasks on COVID-19-like illness and all-cause mortality-a cluster-randomised controlled trial in urban Guinea-Bissau.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Measuring the effects of respiratory protective equipment and other protectors in preventing the scattering of vocalization droplets.Industrial health · 2023Article
- A novel investigations on medical and non-medical mask performance with influence of marine waste microplastics (polypropylene).Marine pollution bulletin · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Mask Performances in Filtration and Comfort in Fabric Combinations.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Electrospun Filtering Membrane Designed as Component of Self-Decontaminating Protective Masks.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Article
- Microstructural evaluation and recommendations for face masks in community use to reduce the transmission of respiratory infectious diseases.Computer methods and programs in biomedicine · 2022Article
- Modeling the effect of temperature and relative humidity on exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in a mechanically ventilated room.Indoor air · 2022Article
- Modelling how face masks and symptoms-based quarantine synergistically and cost-effectively reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Bangladesh.Epidemics · 2022Article
- Elucidating the role of environmental management of forests, air quality, solid waste and wastewater on the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2.Hygiene and environmental health advances · 2022Review
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may spread through respiratory droplets released by infected individuals during coughing, sneezing, or speaking. Given the limited supply of professional respirators and face masks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended home-made cloth face coverings for use by the general public. While there have been several studies on aerosol filtration performance of household fabrics, their effectiveness at blocking larger droplets has not been investigated. Here, we ascertained the performance of 11 common household fabrics at blocking large, high-velocity droplets, using a commercial medical mask as a benchmark. We also assessed the breathability (air permeability), texture, fiber composition, and water absorption properties of the fabrics. We found that most fabrics have substantial blocking efficiency (median values >70%). In particular, two layers of highly permeable fabric, such as T-shirt cloth, blocks droplets with an efficiency (>94%) similar to that of medical masks, while being approximately twice as breathable. The first layer allows about 17% of the droplet volume to transmit, but it significantly reduces their velocity. This allows the second layer to trap the transmitted droplets resulting in high blocking efficacy. Overall, our study suggests that cloth face coverings, especially with multiple layers, may help reduce droplet transmission of respiratory infections. Furthermore, face coverings made from materials such as cotton fabrics allow washing and reusing, and can help reduce the adverse environmental effects of widespread use of commercial disposable and non-biodegradable facemasks.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.