Informing Homemade Emergency Facemask Design: The Ability of Common Fabrics to Filter Ultrafine Particles

Eugenia O'Kelly; Sophia Pirog; James Ward; P John Clarkson

Scant evidence is available on how effective common fabrics are in filtering pathogens, nor whether the homemade masks sold online and provided to hospitals and the community are able to offer adequate protection. Little research has been done regarding the best materials to use for those seeking to create face masks at home. In addition, past studies have tested only a limited set of similar materials, namely t-shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, and tea towels. These results do not provide adequate guidance on the full scope of materials currently used for homemade mask construction.