Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35316263›Full record

ArticlePloS one2022

Fitted filtration efficiency and breathability of 2-ply cotton masks: Identification of cotton consumer categories acceptable for home-made cloth mask construction.

Ken G Drouillard, Amanda Tomkins, Sharon Lackie, Scott Laengert, Allison Baker, Catherine M Clase, Charles F De Lannoy, Dora Cavallo-Medved, Lisa A Porter, Rebecca S Rudman

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ken G DrouillardGreat Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8006-8229
Amanda TomkinsSchool of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Sharon LackieGreat Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
Scott LaengertDepartment of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Allison BakerDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
Catherine M ClaseDepartment of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Charles F De LannoyDepartment of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Dora Cavallo-MedvedDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
Lisa A PorterDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9234-1712
Rebecca S RudmanWindsor Essex Sewing Force, Community Volunteer Group, Windsor, ON, Canada.
University of Windsor · CAMcMaster University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize commercially-available cotton fabrics to determine their suitability as materials for construction of cloth masks for personal and public use to reduce infectious disease spread. The study focused on cottons because of their widespread availability, moderate performance and they are recommended for inclusion in home-made masks by international health authorities. Fifty-two cottons were analyzed by electron microscopy to determine fabric characteristics and fabric weights. Sixteen fabrics were selected to test for breathability and to construct 2-ply cotton masks of a standard design to use in quantitative fit testing on a human participant. Cotton mask fitted filtration efficiencies (FFEs) for 0.02-1 μm ambient and aerosolized sodium chloride particles ranged from 40 to 66% compared with the mean medical mask FFE of 55±2%. Pressure differentials across 2-ply materials ranged from 0.57 to > 12 mm H2O/cm2 on samples of equal surface area with 6 of 16 materials exceeding the recommended medical mask limit. Models were calibrated to predict 2-ply cotton mask FFEs and differential pressures for each fabric based on pore characteristics and fabric weight. Models indicated cotton fabrics from 6 of 9 consumer categories can produce cloth masks with adequate breathability and FFEs equivalent to a medical mask: T-shirt, fashion fabric, mass-market quilting cotton, home décor fabric, bed sheets and high-quality quilting cotton. Masks from one cloth mask and the medical mask were re-tested with a mask fitter to distinguish filtration from leakage. The fabric and medical masks had 3.7% and 41.8% leakage, respectively. These results indicate a well fitted 2-ply cotton mask with overhead ties can perform similarly to a disposable 3-ply medical mask on ear loops due primarily to the superior fit of the cloth mask which compensates for its lower material filtration efficiency.

Indexed as

COVID-19FiltrationGossypiumHumansTextiles

Identifiers

PMID35316263
PMCPMC8939836
OpenAlexW4220958683

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.