covid19

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

princesshamlet:

my friend sent me this and im-

Tags:

#anything that makes me laugh this much deserves a reblog #Doctor Who #covid19 #tag rambles #the future is another country: make sure to get your shots before you go #(and it has disturbed me for some time that no companion ever seems to consider this) #(the Red Panda Adventures went a little far the other direction but at least they *thought* about it) #((in RPA the Nazis invent time travel but can’t use it)) #((because anyone they send through promptly catches several extinct strains of disease at once and dies)) #illness tw #death mention #(((re: that post going around a while back about how fiction often gives the Nazis too much credit))) #(((and they were actually *much* less competent creators than–especially–occult!AUs tend to portray them as))) #(((I would like to be clear that at least two or three other entities in RPA invent time travel and *none* of them have this problem))) #(((only the Nazis have failed to build proper safeties into their time machine))) #P.P.S. can I just say that it’s *especially* disturbing that the companion who literally #goes to *an infectious-disease research facility from the year five billion* #and is *explicitly told that the struggle against disease is perpetual because viruses are constantly evolving* #*still* never expresses concern about her safety or cross-temporal transmission or *any* of that #like damn you were so close #and yet

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

poipoipoi-2016:

Reopening progress:

300-seat IMAX.

Tenet: 4 people

Kong: 40 people

I saw some bits and pieces of Tenet (at home), and at one point I thought: hmm, so we’ve got

* 2020 movie

* Characters are in a theatre

* Characters are wearing respirators and air tanks

There’s *got* to be a joke in there somewhere, but I’m not quite sure what it is.

Tags:

#reply via reblog #illness tw #covid19 #Tenet

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

the-real-numbers:

darticus42:

the-real-numbers:

the-real-numbers:

Computer viruses/attacks get cool names like rowhammer or stuxnet or wannacry but real viruses get shitty names like “COVID19/Novel Coronavirus 2019 variant” or “H1N1 Swine flu”. I think they should swap. Make computer vulnerabilities stuff like “shitty wifi router flaw #2940” and real viruses “ult1m4te de4th c0ugh d1sease”. That’ll do it

Get whoever named “anthrax” to take lead on this one

I mean, you get vulnerabilities or exploits with names like “CVE-20XX-29407” and absolutely unreadable anti-virus generated malware labels like “Trojan.Agent!8.B1E(TOPIS:E0:ahl5sYEJYaH)” and “W32.Mydoom.AU@mm” so computer viruses kinda already get shitty names when there’s not a lot of press surrounding it

Yeah that’s the shit. Let’s start talking about them using their antivirus malware description names.

Tags:

#I didn’t actually laugh aloud but it still amused me enough to reblog #names #illness tw #covid19 #(the Carrionites are right though:) #(the power of a name works only once) #(a different name can give a different *first* impression) #(but as you get to know a thing its name will rapidly take on whatever vibes the thing itself has)

~ Brin ~ 2 Comments

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@moral-autism​ replied to your post:

Tell us about the web serials? Anything good?

—

I’ve seen one of each so far.

(I can’t find a way to sort either of these chronologically, so I’ve linked to the reverse-chronological pages)

—

Seattle by Night [link] (based on the author’s TTRPG campaign, by a guy who does a lot of those) started publishing in the spring of 2020 and is set in the-present-day-as-of-start-of-publishing. It is canon compliant.

It reminds me of the thread you were in once (at least I’m pretty sure it was you? can’t find it now, though…oh, wait, here’s a copy [link]) about stories that are *informed* by their speculative worlds without being *about* them, but applied to the real world: the story’s not *about* COVID-19, but its presence pervades everything. Seattle by Night has got its own stuff going on, but it’s *very much* set in the spring of 2020 and you will never once forget that.

—

The Chilliad [link] started publishing in 2018, is set twenty minutes into the future (basically present day but with self-driving cars good enough that blind people can use them independently), and has declared COVID-19 to be non-canon via a fourth-wall-poking joke:

“well, maybe some of us studied public policy and then a global pandemic hit so we are stuck at home without a full-time job, slowly going insane,” homer snaps.

“co-vid what?” asks donut mouth. “i thought you were a poet.”

“huh?” homer asks, blinking. “i don’t know. maybe i’m still drunk. i think i’m dissociating. you should send me to a hospital.”

“nice try,” says ray ban.

Tags:

#replies #moral autism #recs #storytime #covid19 #illness mention #Iliad #(fun fact: apparently Tumblr defaults to capitalising that ”iLiad”) #(some sort of buggy heuristic I presume) #fanfic

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~ Brin ~ 2 Comments

trillgutterbug:

all the movies and tv shows over the next few years that will have to decide if they’re canon compliant or a canon divergence no plague au

Tags:

#I have already started seeing this happening with web serials and it’s beautiful #also‚ like‚ there are more than two options here #I had a dream recently where I had time-manipulation powers #and in the dream I discovered that in my original timeline the plague was unusually *late* #most timelines have a coronavirus pandemic in 2015 or late 2014 #there is absolutely nothing stopping you from setting a story in one of *those* timelines #you could totally split the difference and set a story in a significantly *post*-plague 2020 #the characters wander through a grocery store chatting and about 5 – 10% of background patrons are masked #”yeah‚” a character offhandedly mentions in one episode‚ ”I can’t make it ’cause I got COVID-14” #”don’t worry‚ I got my booster this year so I’m gonna be fine just gotta stay home for a bit” #it’s never at the forefront‚ it’s never a major plot point‚ it’s just casually there in the characters’ past informing their present #(I feel like this might be helpful for certain kinds of emotional processing?) #tag rambles #covid19 #illness mention #writing

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Anonymous asked: Are quatenary ammonium compounds proven to destroy SARS-COV-2? I remember recommendations to use alcohol-based handwash in preference to BAC but that was back in the spring so maybe they’d just not got around to testing BAC.

~ Brin ~ 1 Comment

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So, a couple things there.

1. Since coronaviruses, being dependent on an envelope, are generally one of the easier viruses to destroy, my baseline initial assumption was that standard disinfectants work. I know there *are* some bottles of ammonium-chloride-based disinfectant sprays at the grocery store now advertising themselves as “approved for use against COVID-19”, though I haven’t looked into the details of such approvals myself.

(Also, if you replace store-bought quat wipes with homemade quat wipes, any change in effectiveness will not be because of problems common to all quat-based cleaners.)

2. I gather that SARS-CoV-2 fomites aren’t a big deal, except maybe under extreme circumstances like caring for COVID patients: it’s the airborne stuff you gotta worry about.

This is mostly a general zeitgeist thing and I don’t have many links on hand, but off the top of my head there’s the argument-from-salad-bars [link].

The main reason to disinfect stuff is to prevent COVID *scares*. All else equal, catching a cold during a pandemic is worse than catching a cold under normal circumstances, because now you have to worry about whether it’s actually the plague. Plus if you catch a *really* bad flu and end up hospitalised, that’s one step closer to overwhelming the hospital (and god help you if they’re *already* overwhelmed).

—

I personally haven’t been disinfecting my respirator (I wash my hands after touching it if it’s been out in the last 3 – 4 days; if possible, I also wash *before* touching it), but OTOH I have 15+ years’ experience with tracking potential-fomite statuses in my head and exercising caution in what I touch accordingly. For people who haven’t trained on that until it becomes second nature (perhaps because they didn’t have the threat of horrific colds to motivate them [link]), disinfection often makes sense.

(Plus ULine was out of stock when I bought my filters, so I have the pink-circle ones. There’s only so much disinfection I’d be able to do.)

I *do* disinfect my smartphone after every outing, but I was already in the habit of doing that before COVID-19. (Note that I have a screen protector and a case, though you *might* still be able to get away with it without those.)

—

P.S. Since apparently we’re talking about quaternary ammonium in more than just an aside now, while we’re at it: *don’t* use ordinary cotton for your homemade disinfectant wipes! [a source]

P.P.S. Oh, also, I just noticed the term “handwash” in your ask. That might have something to do with it, since you’re not supposed to use quaternary ammonium as hand sanitiser: it’s a mild skin irritant. (To be completely honest I occasionally end up doing it anyway at work, but that is part of why I use shitloads of moisturiser.)

Tags:

#covid19 #tales from the askbox #illness tw #the more you know

Let’s talk respirators!

~ Brin ~ 2 Comments

{{previous post in sequence}}

nuclearspaceheater:

brin-bellway:

What’s a respirator?

Short version: it’s like a mask, but better. *Much* better.

Let’s put the headline news up front: if you maintain an airtight seal at all times, a P100 respirator blocks 99.97% of incoming viral particles. [source]

Yeah. 99.97%. That’s a *lot*.

(Specifically, we are going to be talking about what’s called “elastomeric” respirators. These have a base unit made of plastic and silicone, with attachment points on the cheeks for swappable filters.)

—

99.97%?! What’s the catch?! There’s gotta be a catch, right?

A few catches, but generally nothing dealbreaking.

The filtered air is very dry: take frequent breaks if you can to go outside (or somewhere else with clean air) and drink some water. I work 4 – 5 hour shifts for 2 – 3 straight days a week with a respirator and no water breaks, and that’s *doable* but dehydrating.

They muffle your voice a bit more than masks do. You’ll have to speak louder and probably be more careful with enunciation than usual, and talking on the phone will be very difficult.

The 99.97% figure is for *incoming* air. An elastomeric respirator does not, by default, filter outgoing air at all. This is okay for two reasons: one, since you can’t spread a disease you don’t have, protecting yourself *is* protecting others. Two, for even more protection of others you can tape a layer of cloth over the valve on the bottom of the respirator.

They cost more up-front (about USD$30 for a base unit and USD$11 per pair of filters), but they last for such a long time (more on that later) that in the long run it’s actually very economical.

—

So why isn’t everyone using them already?

Mostly because people don’t know about them. Cloth masks were supposed to be a stopgap measure until we had a chance to manufacture more respirators, but word never got out when the respirators had caught up. They do *sometimes* go out of stock still, but they’re very often available now.

Also, the kind of respirators we’re going to be talking about here are aimed at construction workers, which means people looking for “medical” masks tend to overlook them. But a particle is a particle, and there’s no reason you can’t use construction respirators against germs. In fact, in some ways they work even *better* against germs than they do against construction fumes.

—

What do I need to know about how to wear them?

First, check the fit. Take off your glasses if you have them, then put the base unit on and adjust the straps until the seal is airtight without being painful. You won’t be able to get an airtight seal if there’s facial hair in the way: you’ll need to at *least* trim it down very far, and probably shave it.

To confirm that the seal is airtight, there are two methods depending on whether the filters are attached right now.

  • If the filters are *not* attached: cover the attachment points with your palms and try to breathe *in*. If you can’t, the seal is airtight. (Except for the attachment points themselves, of course: *those* are big gaping holes in your seal if they don’t have filters on them. But we’ll be fixing that soon.)
  • If the filters *are* attached: cover the valve at the bottom with your palm and try to breathe *out*. If you can’t, the seal is airtight.

(You’ll want to confirm the seal every time you put the respirator on.)

Next, take a pair of filters and screw them onto the attachment points. (This is much easier to do if you’re not wearing the respirator while you’re doing it.) Be sure to screw them on very tightly, otherwise they might fall off. (I didn’t screw them on tightly enough my first time, and it was pretty scary when one of them fell off in the middle of a crowded restaurant. But now that I’ve gotten them on correctly, they stay put.)

Now you can wear it. If you have glasses, take them off first, then gently rest them on top of the respirator’s nose once you’ve put it on. Check the seal as above to make sure it’s airtight.

Once a week or after every outing, whichever is less frequent, wipe down the silicone (the part that sticks to your face and forms the seal) with some mild cleaning solution to keep the skin oils from building up. You can also wipe down the outside if you are concerned about fomites, but note that of the two styles of filter (more on that later) you can *only* wipe down the plastic cartridges, *not* the pink cloth circles. Here is the official manufacturer’s guide on cleaning these respirators [link]: note that “quat” is janitorial jargon for the type of cleaning solution that Lysol wipes are dipped in.

(Bonus tip: if you’re having trouble sourcing disinfectant wipes, look for bottles of “quaternary ammonium” *next* to the barren disinfectant-wipe section at the grocery store, put it in a spray bottle diluted to the level stated on the bottle instructions, then heavily spritz a paper towel with it. Voila, a disinfectant wipe!)

According to the CDC [link], the filters last somewhere between a month and a year depending on how much you need to conserve resources and how well you can avoid getting them wet or dirty. The main limiting factor on longevity is that the filters get clogged with fumes and dust from the construction work: if you’re not *doing* construction work or similar fume-heavy activities, they can keep going for ages. If you can still breathe through it and the filter hasn’t been wet, you’re good.

—

Where can I get them?

Depends on where you live.

United States of America:

Base unit (currently USD$27.81): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B008MCUT86

Filters:

If possible, I recommend getting them from ULine: https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-20007/Reusable-Respirators/3M-7093-Hard-Shell-Particulate-Filter-P100

ULine has the water-resistant plastic-cartridge filters, is a very reputable dealer, and sells for a good per-pair price. The only trouble is that they sell 6 pairs at a time: split a pack with a group of 3 people if you can, so that each of you will have one spare set.

If you really need a smaller pack or if ULine is out of stock, you *can* get the pink-circle kind from Amazon: 3 pairs for USD$28.90 (https://www.amazon.com/3M-2091-Particulate-Filter-Pairs/dp/B00KYX8JBU), 1 pair for USD$12.80 (https://www.amazon.com/3M-50051131070009-Particulate-Filter-2091/dp/B07571LKP4).

The pink-circle filters are *not* water-resistant: try not to stay out in the rain very long or otherwise get them wet, and don’t try to disinfect them (just avoid touching them instead, and wash your hands if you do have to). Also, counterfeits occasionally slip into Amazon’s stocks: try Amazon filters on when you first get them, and if you can still smell anything through them, demand a replacement. You should *not* be able to smell anything through a true P100 filter.

Canada:

Base unit (CAD$44.19): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B008MCUT86/

Filters:

Canada has branches of both ULine and Amazon. Read the tips I gave the Americans on filter selection: the same things apply.

ULine (6 pairs for CAD$89): https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-20007/Reusable-Respirators/3M-7093-Hard-Shell-Particulate-Filter-P100

Amazon (2 pairs for CAD$24.71): https://www.amazon.ca/Particulate-Nuisance-Organic-Release-2097PA1/dp/B007STCT00/

Amazon (1 pair for CAD$16.95): https://www.amazon.ca/3M-2097-Particulate-Filter/dp/B00328IAO0/

Other countries:

I don’t have links for these on hand. For the base unit, check your hardware and general stores for “3M model 7502 respirators”; for the filters, look for “3M bayonet-style P100 filters” and prefer the plastic cartridges over the pink circles if possible. If you can’t find any of those, try looking into other elastomeric respirators, but I don’t have any experience with other ones so you’d be on your own there. Remember that you should not be able to smell anything through an airtight P100 respirator: if you put the filters on and can still smell stuff, something’s wrong with those filters, go back to the seller and get them to either give you a better set or refund you.

—

Getting a respirator has been a life-changer for me, and I hope it can help you too. If you found this useful or know someone who would, please let people know.

Important correction: You can actually smell lots of things thru a properly working, plain P100 respirator, because many of the things that we can smell are gasses, which particulate filters do nothing against. This is fine for this purpose: SARS-CoV-2 and droplets that carry it are particles.

As I recall, I was surprised that you’d stopped smelling things when you got yours, but found out that the specific filters you were using were P100 filters with nuisance organic vapor filtering. These contain a relatively small amount of activated carbon which absorbs organic vapors at levels below occupational exposure limits that would require heavier vapor protection, as well as most of the vapors you’d smell in ordinary life, at ordinary concentrations.

Huh. That’s very good to know. I defer to your expertise.

(I’d seen multiple reviews saying that the *two* ways of detecting counterfeits were “suspiciously light” and “scent infiltration”, but since the intended audience doesn’t already have experience with these and wouldn’t know when one feels suspiciously light, I only kept the second one in.)

I would, in that case, recommend nuisance organic vapor filtering for the psychological benefits: respirator-specific anosmia is a great way to subconsciously reassure yourself that you’re not getting exposed to anything *else* in the air. (Admittedly this may be more of a me thing: since I’ve been using anti-pollen masks for years, I’m very accustomed to judging air quality by the amount of scent that gets through. (For pollen, the occasional whiff and a *bit* of background is generally fine, but if my sense of smell seems completely unimpaired I need to replace my mask.))

—

@nicdevera [link], I have occasionally tried jogging to work when I was running a bit late, and I find I can’t jog for very long in my respirator: I can’t quite get enough airflow. Biking would probably depend on how hard you’re pushing it.

(I get my exercise on a home treadmill, but I recognise that I am incredibly fortunate to have the housing space and stability for one, and also to have gotten it circa 2014 when demand was quite low and you could often pick a used one up for the price of moving it.)

—

It is becoming increasingly clear that I should have put this post under a read-more: not only is it fairly long, it’s going to need updates. @wingedcatgirl, @moral-autism, @sophia-epistemia, @drethelin: I don’t suppose y’all would be willing to go reblog the read-more version instead?

Tags:

#reply via reblog #covid19 #the more you know #oh look an update #illness tw

{{next post in sequence}}

Let’s talk respirators!

~ Brin ~ 2 Comments

{{previous post in sequence}}

hunterstheorem:

brin-bellway:

What’s a respirator?

Short version: it’s like a mask, but better. *Much* better.

Let’s put the headline news up front: if you maintain an airtight seal at all times, a P100 respirator blocks 99.97% of incoming viral particles. [source]

Yeah. 99.97%. That’s a *lot*.

(Specifically, we are going to be talking about what’s called “elastomeric” respirators. These have a base unit made of plastic and silicone, with attachment points on the cheeks for swappable filters.)

—

99.97%?! What’s the catch?! There’s gotta be a catch, right?

A few catches, but generally nothing dealbreaking.

The filtered air is very dry: take frequent breaks if you can to go outside (or somewhere else with clean air) and drink some water. I work 4 – 5 hour shifts for 2 – 3 straight days a week with a respirator and no water breaks, and that’s *doable* but dehydrating.

They muffle your voice a bit more than masks do. You’ll have to speak louder and probably be more careful with enunciation than usual, and talking on the phone will be very difficult.

The 99.97% figure is for *incoming* air. An elastomeric respirator does not, by default, filter outgoing air at all. This is okay for two reasons: one, since you can’t spread a disease you don’t have, protecting yourself *is* protecting others. Two, for even more protection of others you can tape a layer of cloth over the valve on the bottom of the respirator.

They cost more up-front (about USD$30 for a base unit and USD$11 per pair of filters), but they last for such a long time (more on that later) that in the long run it’s actually very economical.

—

So why isn’t everyone using them already?

Mostly because people don’t know about them. Cloth masks were supposed to be a stopgap measure until we had a chance to manufacture more respirators, but word never got out when the respirators had caught up. They do *sometimes* go out of stock still, but they’re very often available now.

Also, the kind of respirators we’re going to be talking about here are aimed at construction workers, which means people looking for “medical” masks tend to overlook them. But a particle is a particle, and there’s no reason you can’t use construction respirators against germs. In fact, in some ways they work even *better* against germs than they do against construction fumes.

—

What do I need to know about how to wear them?

First, check the fit. Take off your glasses if you have them, then put the base unit on and adjust the straps until the seal is airtight without being painful. You won’t be able to get an airtight seal if there’s facial hair in the way: you’ll need to at *least* trim it down very far, and probably shave it.

To confirm that the seal is airtight, there are two methods depending on whether the filters are attached right now.

  • If the filters are *not* attached: cover the attachment points with your palms and try to breathe *in*. If you can’t, the seal is airtight. (Except for the attachment points themselves, of course: *those* are big gaping holes in your seal if they don’t have filters on them. But we’ll be fixing that soon.)
  • If the filters *are* attached: cover the valve at the bottom with your palm and try to breathe *out*. If you can’t, the seal is airtight.

(You’ll want to confirm the seal every time you put the respirator on.)

Next, take a pair of filters and screw them onto the attachment points. (This is much easier to do if you’re not wearing the respirator while you’re doing it.) Be sure to screw them on very tightly, otherwise they might fall off. (I didn’t screw them on tightly enough my first time, and it was pretty scary when one of them fell off in the middle of a crowded restaurant. But now that I’ve gotten them on correctly, they stay put.)

Now you can wear it. If you have glasses, take them off first, then gently rest them on top of the respirator’s nose once you’ve put it on. Check the seal as above to make sure it’s airtight.

Once a week or after every outing, whichever is less frequent, wipe down the silicone (the part that sticks to your face and forms the seal) with some mild cleaning solution to keep the skin oils from building up. You can also wipe down the outside if you are concerned about fomites, but note that of the two styles of filter (more on that later) you can *only* wipe down the plastic cartridges, *not* the pink cloth circles. Here is the official manufacturer’s guide on cleaning these respirators [link]: note that “quat” is janitorial jargon for the type of cleaning solution that Lysol wipes are dipped in.

(Bonus tip: if you’re having trouble sourcing disinfectant wipes, look for bottles of “quaternary ammonium” *next* to the barren disinfectant-wipe section at the grocery store, put it in a spray bottle diluted to the level stated on the bottle instructions, then heavily spritz a paper towel with it. Voila, a disinfectant wipe!)

According to the CDC [link], the filters last somewhere between a month and a year depending on how much you need to conserve resources and how well you can avoid getting them wet or dirty. The main limiting factor on longevity is that the filters get clogged with fumes and dust from the construction work: if you’re not *doing* construction work or similar fume-heavy activities, they can keep going for ages. If you can still breathe through it and the filter hasn’t been wet, you’re good.

—

Where can I get them?

Depends on where you live.

United States of America:

Base unit (currently USD$27.81): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B008MCUT86

Filters:

If possible, I recommend getting them from ULine: https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-20007/Reusable-Respirators/3M-7093-Hard-Shell-Particulate-Filter-P100

ULine has the water-resistant plastic-cartridge filters, is a very reputable dealer, and sells for a good per-pair price. The only trouble is that they sell 6 pairs at a time: split a pack with a group of 3 people if you can, so that each of you will have one spare set.

If you really need a smaller pack or if ULine is out of stock, you *can* get the pink-circle kind from Amazon: 3 pairs for USD$28.90 (https://www.amazon.com/3M-2091-Particulate-Filter-Pairs/dp/B00KYX8JBU), 1 pair for USD$12.80 (https://www.amazon.com/3M-50051131070009-Particulate-Filter-2091/dp/B07571LKP4).

The pink-circle filters are *not* water-resistant: try not to stay out in the rain very long or otherwise get them wet, and don’t try to disinfect them (just avoid touching them instead, and wash your hands if you do have to). Also, counterfeits occasionally slip into Amazon’s stocks: try Amazon filters on when you first get them, and if you can still smell anything through them, demand a replacement. You should *not* be able to smell anything through a true P100 filter.

Canada:

Base unit (CAD$44.19): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B008MCUT86/

Filters:

Canada has branches of both ULine and Amazon. Read the tips I gave the Americans on filter selection: the same things apply.

ULine (6 pairs for CAD$89): https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-20007/Reusable-Respirators/3M-7093-Hard-Shell-Particulate-Filter-P100

Amazon (2 pairs for CAD$24.71): https://www.amazon.ca/Particulate-Nuisance-Organic-Release-2097PA1/dp/B007STCT00/

Amazon (1 pair for CAD$16.95): https://www.amazon.ca/3M-2097-Particulate-Filter/dp/B00328IAO0/

Other countries:

I don’t have links for these on hand. For the base unit, check your hardware and general stores for “3M model 7502 respirators”; for the filters, look for “3M bayonet-style P100 filters” and prefer the plastic cartridges over the pink circles if possible. If you can’t find any of those, try looking into other elastomeric respirators, but I don’t have any experience with other ones so you’d be on your own there. Remember that you should not be able to smell anything through an airtight P100 respirator: if you put the filters on and can still smell stuff, something’s wrong with those filters, go back to the seller and get them to either give you a better set or refund you.

—

Getting a respirator has been a life-changer for me, and I hope it can help you too. If you found this useful or know someone who would, please let people know.

“Normies don’t know about this ridiculous-looking, uncomfortable, and unpleasant thing” is not why people aren’t using these.

Do you really, actually believe that I’m going to reach an audience of *normies* here?

Also, one of the great things about anti-ingress protection is that if other people opt not to wear it, that is *their* problem, not yours. You don’t have to fuck around with the game theory and herd effects and a-*bit*-of-anti-ingress-as-a-consolation-prize of cloth masks: it’s just “each person who wears it is one more person protected”, full stop. If even *one* person starts using a respirator because of this post, that is a job well done.

—

P.S. To be clear: this post was inspired by people complaining about being stuck without human contact for months and (they believe) potentially years at a time, because it was that or probably end up as a COVID vector.

Uncomfortable? Unpleasant? Compared to *what*? Not to solitary confinement.

(Ridiculous-looking, I’ll grant you, and I’ll grant that that deserved a mention.)

Tags:

#reply via reblog #oh look an update #discourse cw #covid19 #illness tw #long post

{{next post in sequence}}

Let’s talk respirators!

~ Brin ~ 2 Comments

{{previous post in sequence}}

{{This version of the guide is outdated. See https://wp.brinbellway.net/lets-talk-respirators-psa-version/ for the up-to-date guide.}}

What’s a respirator?

Short version: it’s like a mask, but better. *Much* better.

Let’s put the headline news up front: if you maintain an airtight seal at all times, a P100 respirator blocks 99.97% of incoming viral particles. [source]

Yeah. 99.97%. That’s a *lot*.

(Specifically, we are going to be talking about what’s called “elastomeric” respirators. These have a base unit made of plastic and silicone, with attachment points on the cheeks for swappable filters.)

—

99.97%?! What’s the catch?! There’s gotta be a catch, right?

A few catches, but generally nothing dealbreaking.

The filtered air is very dry: take frequent breaks if you can to go outside (or somewhere else with clean air) and drink some water. I work 4 – 5 hour shifts for 2 – 3 straight days a week with a respirator and no water breaks, and that’s *doable* but dehydrating.

They muffle your voice a bit more than masks do. You’ll have to speak louder and probably be more careful with enunciation than usual, and talking on the phone will be very difficult.

The 99.97% figure is for *incoming* air. An elastomeric respirator does not, by default, filter outgoing air at all. This is okay for two reasons: one, since you can’t spread a disease you don’t catch, protecting yourself *is* protecting others. Two, for even more protection of others you can tape a layer of cloth over the valve on the bottom of the respirator.

They cost more up-front (about USD$30 for a base unit and USD$11 per pair of filters), but they last for such a long time (more on that later) that in the long run it’s actually very economical.

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So why isn’t everyone using them already?

Mostly because people don’t know about them. Cloth masks were supposed to be a stopgap measure until we had a chance to manufacture more respirators, but word never got out when the respirators had caught up. They do *sometimes* go out of stock still, but they’re very often available now.

Also, the kind of respirators we’re going to be talking about here are aimed at construction workers, which means people looking for “medical” masks tend to overlook them. But a particle is a particle, and there’s no reason you can’t use construction respirators against germs. In fact, in some ways they work even *better* against germs than they do against construction fumes.

(Edit: Okay, yes, also they look funny, but people in 2019 would have told you masks looked funny too.)

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What do I need to know about how to wear them?

First, check the fit. Take off your glasses if you have them, then put the base unit on and adjust the straps until the seal is airtight without being painful. You won’t be able to get an airtight seal if there’s facial hair in the way: you’ll need to at *least* trim it down very far, and probably shave it.

To confirm that the seal is airtight, there are two methods depending on whether the filters are attached right now.

  • If the filters are *not* attached: cover the attachment points with your palms and try to breathe *in*. If you can’t, the seal is airtight. (Except for the attachment points themselves, of course: *those* are big gaping holes in your seal if they don’t have filters on them. But we’ll be fixing that soon.)
  • If the filters *are* attached: cover the valve at the bottom with your palm and try to breathe *out*. If you can’t, the seal is airtight.

(You’ll want to confirm the seal every time you put the respirator on.)

Next, take a pair of filters and screw them onto the attachment points. (This is much easier to do if you’re not wearing the respirator while you’re doing it.) Be sure to screw them on very tightly, otherwise they might fall off. (I didn’t screw them on tightly enough my first time, and it was pretty scary when one of them fell off in the middle of a crowded restaurant. But now that I’ve gotten them on correctly, they stay put.)

Now you can wear it. If you have glasses, take them off first, then gently rest them on top of the respirator’s nose once you’ve put it on. Check the seal as above to make sure it’s airtight.

Once a week or after every outing, whichever is less frequent, wipe down the silicone (the part that sticks to your face and forms the seal) with some mild cleaning solution to keep the skin oils from building up. You can also wipe down the outside if you are concerned about fomites, but note that of the two styles of filter (more on that later) you can *only* wipe down the plastic cartridges, *not* the pink cloth circles. Here is the official manufacturer’s guide on cleaning these respirators [link]: note that “quat” is janitorial jargon for the type of cleaning solution that Lysol wipes are dipped in.

(Bonus tip: if you’re having trouble sourcing disinfectant wipes, look for bottles of “quaternary ammonium” *next* to the barren disinfectant-wipe section at the grocery store, put it in a spray bottle diluted to the level stated on the bottle instructions, then heavily spritz a paper towel with it. Voila, a disinfectant wipe!)

According to the CDC [link], the filters last somewhere between a month and a year depending on how much you need to conserve resources and how well you can avoid getting them wet or dirty. The main limiting factor on longevity is that the filters get clogged with fumes and dust from the construction work: if you’re not *doing* construction work or similar fume-heavy activities, they can keep going for ages. If you can still breathe through it and the filter hasn’t been wet, you’re good.

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Where can I get them?

Depends on where you live.

United States of America:

Base unit (currently USD$27.81): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B008MCUT86

Filters:

If possible, I recommend getting them from ULine: https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-20007/Reusable-Respirators/3M-7093-Hard-Shell-Particulate-Filter-P100

ULine has the water-resistant plastic-cartridge filters, is a very reputable dealer, and sells for a good per-pair price. The only trouble is that they sell 6 pairs at a time: split a pack with a group of 3 people if you can, so that each of you will have one spare set.

If you really need a smaller pack or if ULine is out of stock, you *can* get the pink-circle kind from Amazon: 3 pairs for USD$28.90 (https://www.amazon.com/3M-2091-Particulate-Filter-Pairs/dp/B00KYX8JBU), 1 pair for USD$12.80 (https://www.amazon.com/3M-50051131070009-Particulate-Filter-2091/dp/B07571LKP4).

The pink-circle filters are *not* water-resistant: try not to stay out in the rain very long or otherwise get them wet, and don’t try to disinfect them (just avoid touching them instead, and wash your hands if you do have to). Also, counterfeits occasionally slip into Amazon’s stocks: try Amazon filters on when you first get them, and if you can still smell anything through them, demand a replacement. You should *not* be able to smell anything through a true P100 filter.  Edit: @nuclearspaceheater, who is a more experienced respirator user than I am, reports that many genuine P100 filters *do* let some scent through: I merely happened to have filters with some extra vapor filtration. I’ve seen reviews saying that fakes are suspiciously light, but it’s hard to tell if you don’t already know how much they should weigh, plus that *also* might have been a vapor-vs-nonvapor distinction. It’s possible that the people complaining about counterfeit filters from Amazon are just straight-up mistaken and they’re all fine, but I would still go with ULine for the water resistance if nothing else.

Canada:

Base unit (CAD$44.19): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B008MCUT86/

Filters:

Canada has branches of both ULine and Amazon. Read the tips I gave the Americans on filter selection: the same things apply.

ULine (6 pairs for CAD$89): https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-20007/Reusable-Respirators/3M-7093-Hard-Shell-Particulate-Filter-P100

Amazon (2 pairs for CAD$24.71): https://www.amazon.ca/Particulate-Nuisance-Organic-Release-2097PA1/dp/B007STCT00/

Amazon (1 pair for CAD$16.95): https://www.amazon.ca/3M-2097-Particulate-Filter/dp/B00328IAO0/

Other countries:

I don’t have links for these on hand. For the base unit, check your hardware and general stores for “3M model 7502 respirators”; for the filters, look for “3M bayonet-style P100 filters” and prefer the plastic cartridges over the pink circles if possible. If you can’t find any of those, try looking into other elastomeric respirators, but I don’t have any experience with other ones so you’d be on your own there. Remember that you should not be able to smell anything through an airtight P100 respirator: if you put the filters on and can still smell stuff, something’s wrong with those filters, go back to the seller and get them to either give you a better set or refund you. Edit: This is not necessarily true and indeed there might not be counterfeits at all: check the edit in the USA section for more details.

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Getting a respirator has been a life-changer for me, and I hope it can help you too. If you found this useful or know someone who would, please let people know.

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Postscript, 2021-09-14: It has been my experience that nuisance-vapour filtration wears out after 3 – 4 months. If you value its psychological benefits (I don’t know about you, but nothing reassures my subconscious about air quality quite like respirator-specific anosmia), or have additional uses in mind for your respirator such that you need nuisance-vapour filtration, I recommend planning to replace your filters about that often.

Also, here is a nice pocket umbrella I got to protect my non-water-resistant filters from unexpected rain. No more standing at the threshold of my workplace stuffing my respirator into a plastic bag! It makes a pretty good parasol, too.

Tags:

#covid19 #masks #the more you know #illness tw #PSA #oh look an original post

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