If we look around us today at the masks that almost everyone wears, they are surgical, a little FFP2 and almost never fabric masks… And depending on which one we use, it’s not the same budget.
If you are more washable or surgical, we are around 5 cents per use, ten times more for FFP2. What I propose to you today is to review the actual effectiveness of each mask, this will help you know when to use which one and save money. To see clearly I asked Antoine Flahaud, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Genevain Switzerland and here is the first thing to know: a mask, whether surgical, washable or FFP2, aims to reduce the risk, and each is more or less effective.
No risk 0
Exactly, nothing is 100%! The best is the FFP2 which reduces the risk of catching covid by 83% with a surgical mask: 66% and an approved fabric mask, 56%.
But there are other criteria: if you wear an FFP2 and a person is infected and does not wear a mask: you have 2 and a half hours of protection, 30 minutes with a surgical, 20 with a fabric mask and 15 minutes without a mask..
The question of washing and reusing
A disposable mask can be used several times, it should not be thrown away after a single use for Professor Flahaud who recommends following the manufacturer’s instructions to find out if it can also be washed.
And by the way, as so often in this column, ecology rhymes with economy ! We all know that disposable masks are mostly made with plastic, so oil (climate) and microplastics which often end up in the sea…
Do you know a way to save money, or earn more money? Contact Valère Corréard.