Years ago I had a mask for when we were adding lead to steel during the casting. It was a rubber one with cannisters. It waste robust and a tight fit. It left marks on your face. I also made a point of staying upwind as well. The people actually handling the lead had two lockers, for clean and dirty clothes, blood tests every 3 months.
As for the lightweight masks for diy I have 3M ones with the mouldable nose insert to seal the fit. The only time the safety glasses mist up is when that nose seal is poor. The key for effectiveness is getting a good, tight seal. The nose area is easier but the sides on the cheeks is the weak area. I see many wearing these lightweight or home made versions and they are poor. I have a beard too so the cheek and jaw areas would need VERY tight masks. Even the diy ones sold in B&Q and other stores have varying specs for each type of hazardous environment, usually based on particle size.
I think that the masks widely used are not full medical spec so might only limit transfer from the wearer but not fully contain a sneeze/cough. I bet people use the same one many times and their hand to mask hygiene sadly lacking.
I wore a 3M mask and glasses a couple of days ago while sanding some mdf in the garage. Full head elastic not behind the ears so gives a tighter fit.
Last edited by sospan; 30/05/20 08:48 PM.
