The flexible face covering, the neck gaiter, is an easy-to-have-with-you outdoor accessory. However, this particular type of mask has received numerous negative comments, after a study from Duke University was published, where the scientists claimed that Neck Gaiters are worse than not wearing a mask.
The study can be checked in Science Advances, and the scientists analyzed the journey of droplets on several subjects that pronounced the phrase “stay healthy, people.” The droplets were measured on different types of masks and, such as the standard surgical mask and the N95, as well as various types of cloth masks or bandanas.
The researchers were looking for a low-budget testing alternative, and therefore the study informed a wide array of masks, a box, a cell phone, and a light. According to the setup tests, the N95 cover was the most affected, followed by the surgical mask and then by face cloth masks. The disturbing thing was that when the person wore the neck gaiter, the droplets eliminate in the breathing air was increased by 110% than when not wearing any mask.
David Nieman, professor of biology at Appalachian State University, declared that the primary purpose of this study was to test a concept idea of setup, and the team did not intend to draw conclusions regarding the efficiency of specific masks. Therefore, he underlined that the results of this test should not be taken into consideration because they have not undergone enough tests to exercise conditions.
In addition to this, the scientists explain that the gaiter might have broken the respiratory droplets into thinner ones, and therefore their number was so high. Another thing to take into consideration is the composition materials since this gaiter was made of polyester spandex material, which is known as a porous, non-breathable material.
After this study a new question appeared: are smaller particles less dangerous than normal ones?