The debate over which face masks are best for people to wear during the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage. The subject of neck gaiters has become a hot-button issue, with many wondering whether or not the fleece face covering can stop the coronavirus from spreading as easily as cotton masks. And now, researchers are clarifying new research on the issue.
On Tuesday, I wrote about a new study from Duke University that reviewed a number of face masks, identifying which ones are better for people to wear compared to others. The researchers reviewed masks like N95s, bandanas and your typical cotton mask. The study examined how well respiratory droplet passed through those masks.
The researchers tested one fleece gaiter. And, in most cases, the researchers found that the neck gaiters helped spread air droplets more than not wearing a mask at all. The fleece gaiter broke respiratory droplets into smaller droplets, which lingered in the air more. This immediately raised concern about fleece gaiters and their success with stopping the spread of coronavirus.
But Dr. Martin Fischer, one of the authors of the study, told CNET that the research doesn’t tell the whole story. For one thing, the researchers only examined one kind of fleece gaiter, when in reality fleece gaiters are made from different material.
The fleece mask tested was a polyester/spandex mask. Typically, these masks are pretty thin to provide breathability, which is likely the reason for lots of particles getting though, broken into smaller pieces,” he told CNET. “However, we expect that there are variations of performance for different masks (even of the same type), and different users wearing identical masks.”
More research, he said, is needed to determine how well neck gaiters work.
“Our work focused on developing a technique that can be replicated at other labs, rather than a comprehensive mask test. As we stated in the paper, our work was a preliminary study that included one fleece mask (also called gaiter mask, or neck gaiter) only — we did not do a systematic study involving many masks, speakers and wear conditions. More studies are needed to make specific use recommendations.”
One of the study’s co-authors, Warren S. Warren, told The Washington Post that people often wear neck gaiters for two reasons — style and because they allow people to breath easier. The latter benefit is the exact reason why they might be dangerous for people.
“These neck gaiters are extremely common in a lot of places because they’re very convenient to wear,” he said. “But the exact reason why they’re so convenient, which is that they don’t restrict air, is the reason why they’re not doing much of a job helping people.”
But writing off all fleece neck gaiters might not be the right move. Chris Bernat, co-founder of South Carolina-based Vapor Apparel, told The Washington Post there are some gaiters with a thicker base, that help stop the spread.
“All gaiters are not created equal,” he told The Washington Post. “There’s a segment of this category that’s of a much higher quality that’s engineered to be layered.”