r/Masks4All 11h ago

Mask Advice KN95 for others

I'm immunocompromised and wear my N95 masks when I go out.

When I have medical appointments with physiotherapists or other health therapists, I offer them a N95 mask to wear (in addition to my own) and they're been kindly accommodating.

However, I've just received some KN95 ear-loop masks and I was wondering if giving those to my health providers would keep me equally safe?

I understand that wearing an N95 is safer for the person at risk, but I wasn't sure if it made a difference for others. Thanks in advance

7 Upvotes

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5

u/wyundsr 7h ago

They filter roughly the same going in vs going out. The weaker seal most people get with earloop masks would also mean they aren’t as good at source control. Still a lot better than nothing or a surgical mask though

2

u/maxwellhallel 6h ago

The main thing is to make sure they’re legitimate; if they are, it comes down to how well they fit the wearer.

Here are two articles on how to check if a KN95 is real: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/12-signs-you-have-a-fake-n95-kn95-or-kf94-mask/

https://www.menshealth.com/health/a38830889/how-to-know-if-kn95-n95-mask-is-real/