Qld: Most masks not effective against air pollution: expert

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2008
Qld: Most masks not effective against air pollution: expert

By Gabrielle Dunlevy

BRISBANE, Aug 6 AAP - Athletes and visitors at the Beijing Olympics are doing themselves
no favours by wearing disposable masks, a Queensland expert in population health says.

Griffith University's Dr David Bromwich said people were misguided if they believed
disposable face masks, such as those sold by hardware shops, would protect them from the
city's air pollution.

Dr Bromwich said such masks rarely sealed properly around the face, and did not stop
gases like sulphur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide.

People wearing surgical masks could be under an even greater delusion, he said.

"Surgical masks are designed to protect patients, rather than the wearer," Dr Bromwich told AAP.

"We presume it works the other way around to protect the wearer, and that's not so at all."

He said ill-fitting masks were also a risk.

"If you're wearing a mask and it doesn't fit well you might get an increased restriction
to (air) flow ... it would be harder to breathe," he said.

Dr Bromwich said countries such as the US had been involved in intense research and
development worth millions of dollars to design improved masks, using nanomaterials for
filter layers.

But his advice for the average Beijing visitor?

"Pray for rain," Dr Bromwich said.

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KEYWORD: OLY08 MASKS

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