{"id":7844,"date":"2020-09-06T11:09:41","date_gmt":"2020-09-06T16:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.faceshield.com\/what-experts-say\/if-someone-combines-their-mask-with-a-face-shield-it-can-provide-added-protection\/"},"modified":"2020-09-06T11:12:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T16:12:20","slug":"if-someone-combines-their-mask-with-a-face-shield-it-can-provide-added-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faceshield.com\/what-experts-say\/if-someone-combines-their-mask-with-a-face-shield-it-can-provide-added-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"If someone combines their mask with a face shield, it can provide added protection."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)<\/a> and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a> recommend for the most effective facial covering the N95 face mask because it’s a snug fit around the nose and mouth, and it’s property to best filter small airborne particles. What about face shields?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Veltman, MD,<\/a> chief of infectious diseases at Loma Linda University Health, says in the interview<\/a> that the answer is not that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too complicated to compare a face shield to a face mask because people are not all wearing the same masks,\u201d Dr. Veltman says. \u201cIn the community, some people are wearing bandannas, homemade masks or N-95 masks. There has not been a study comparing face shields to masks, and doing such study would be challenging since mask materials vary greatly in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Veltman argues that research has found that face shields are beneficial if someone cannot wear a mask. \u201dIf someone coughs 18 inches from you while you are wearing a face shield, the immediate viral exposure is reduced by 96%,\u201d Veltman says. \u201dIf the person remains coughing and talking with you for 30 minutes, then the face shield blocks 68% of the small air particles,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prolonged exposure to the infectious particles from the cough or sneeze reduces the amount of protection that the face shield can provide, Dr.Veltman says. If combined with a face mask with a face shield, it can provide added protection. This is a reason why it is essential and widely used in hospitals and healthcare settings<\/a>.<\/p>\n