ReviewAdvances in colloid and interface science2021
Face masks against COVID-19: Standards, efficacy, testing and decontamination methods.
Review in Advances in colloid and interface science, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
57 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Facial dermatoses induced by face masks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Contact dermatitis · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of Mask Reuse on the Oropharyngeal, Skin, and Mask Microbiome.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2023Trial
- Effects of wearing different face masks on cardiopulmonary performance at rest and exercise in a partially double-blinded randomized cross-over study.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Smart Face Masks as Wearable Respiratory Sensors: A Review of Sensor Technologies, Materials, and Future Directions.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Review
- Towards green filtration: Thyme-based antibacterial nanofiber media as alternatives to synthetic counterparts.MethodsX · 2025Article
- Repurposing disposable medical syringes into valuable fluorescent carbon dots: application to the fluorometric determination of nintedanib.RSC advances · 2025Article
- Waste Surgical Masks as Precursors of Activated Carbon: A Circular Economy Approach to Mitigate the Impact of Microplastics and Emerging Dye Contaminants.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Epidemiological changes ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Development of a Color-Changing Face Mask for Fever Detection Applications.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Assessing the behavior of food handlers wearing face masks and the passage of bacteria through disposable masks.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025Article
- Reusable Personal Protective Equipment Viewed Through the Lens of Sustainability.International dental journal · 2024Review
- Evaluation of the penetration capacity of bacteria through layers of different face mask types and wearing conditions.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- School mask policies and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among school-age children-United States, September to December 2021.Microbiology spectrum · 2024Article
- Post-COVID-19: Time to Change Our Way of Life for a Better Future.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- An Engineering Alternative to Lockdown During COVID-19 and Other Airborne Infectious Disease Pandemics: Feasibility Study.JMIR biomedical engineering · 2024Article
- Engineered Electrically Heatable Face Masks for Direct Inactivation of Aerosolized Viruses on the Mask Surfaces.ACS ES&T engineering · 2024Article
- The real-world effectiveness of preschoolers wearing masks on campus to prevent respiratory infectious diseases: a cohort study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Critical Evaluation of Global Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for Dentistry Published during the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of dentistry · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused a global pandemic on a scale not seen for over a century. Increasing evidence suggests that respiratory droplets and aerosols are likely the most common route of transmission for SARS-CoV-2. Since the virus can be spread by presymptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, universal face masking has been recommended as a straightforward and low-cost strategy to mitigate virus transmission. Numerous governments and public health agencies around the world have advocated for or mandated the wearing of masks in public settings, especially in situations where social distancing is not possible. However, the efficacy of wearing a mask remains controversial. This interdisciplinary review summarizes the current, state-of-the-art understanding of mask usage against COVID-19. It covers three main aspects of mask usage amid the pandemic: quality standards for various face masks and their fundamental filtration mechanisms, empirical methods for quantitatively determining mask integrity and particle filtration efficiency, and decontamination methods that allow for the reuse of traditionally disposable N95 and surgical masks. The focus is given to the fundamental physicochemical and engineering sciences behind each aspect covered in this review, providing novel insights into the current understanding of mask usage to curb COVID-19 spread.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.