Surgical masks almost useless; Expert warned health officials they shouldn't be used in SARS fight

Canadian Press ^ | 06-03-03

[Brian S]

TORONTO -- The surprise spike in SARS cases wouldn't have occurred if health-care workers were told their surgical masks cannot protect them, an infection containment expert said yesterday.

Ugis Bickis says health-care officials ignored his repeated warnings the flimsy masks were no substitute for the more expensive N95 respiratory masks in guarding against agents that cause SARS.

Yet union officials report that many health-care workers have instead been handed surgical masks, which are often used by construction workers.

"There is a perception . . . that people were protected," said Bickis, an occupational safety professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "They were not being protected. It was just an illusion."

Bickis learned of the limitations of surgical masks earlier this year while working on a federal bio-terror preparedness group.

The more sophisticated masks cut out 95 per cent of contaminants and many use electrostatic forces to attract particulate. Surgical masks range in quality, removing anywhere from one per cent to 50 per cent of what's in the air, he said.

The World Health Organization advises people against wearing surgical masks. Health Canada's current website now also suggests the N95 mask.

Those on the front lines say Ontario health officials have failed to insist workers take utmost caution.

"There have been problems from the beginning of the outbreak with people not being given masks at all or being given surgical masks," said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospitals.

That was the case at North York General Hospital, origin of the most recent outbreak. Only staff in high-risk areas wore the special masks and when the virus appeared to resurface in the orthopedic unit, nurses there were unprotected.

Hurley said that compounding temptations to ease the fight against SARS has been the immense pressure from the business community to reignite Toronto's flagging tourism economy by declaring the battle over and from the doctors who wanted to resume elective surgeries.

"There was a lot of pressure to ramp up the system and they changed their philosophy midway," Hurley said of health officials.

SARS INBRIEF

- The number of active probable cases in Ontario rises to 62, and officials recorded another death -- a 60-year-old man -- after going over old cases. Thirteen people are in critical condition and 32 people have died.

- Ontario Premier Ernie Eves says he has no objection to a public inquiry that would look at how the province has handled the SARS outbreak. The government agreed there needs to be a "meaningful dialogue" among health-care workers about what went wrong.

- China reports no new cases of SARS for the first time in weeks but Hong Kong says three health-care workers have died in the past two days, including a 30-year-old doctor.

- The Dixie Chicks postpone their June 12 Toronto concert because of SARS concerns.

- David and Ed Mirvish announce their long-running Toronto production of The Lion King will close Sept. 28 in the hope the announcement will spur tourists to visit the city to see the production over the summer.

Ran with fact box "SARS inbrief", which has been appended to the story.

[Brian S]

FYI

[I_love_weather]

Several people said ALL along that these things were useless. I think perhaps they may provide a SLIGHT protection...but not enough to make me comfortable.

[DannyTN]

I'm surprised that surgical masks don't eliminate more than 50%. I would have thought that the medical community would have abandoned them for better controls long ago.

For that matter, I'm surprised that 95% is considered good enough when working with a pathogen as dangerous as SARS.

Suppose that with 5% of pathogens getting through, 5% of the medical people catch it. That would be 1 in 100 medical people dying. Not only that, what is the likelihood of them spreading it to other patients.

Tennessee only has 2 cases of SARS so far and I don't know which cities. I wish I did. But I'm seriously considering having our homecare nurses where a mask for 7 days after a patient is home from the Hospital. If the count in Tennessee start's going up I will.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Sounds like someone or some company behind the N95 respiratory masks wants to make money off of SARS.

There's no proof offered in the article that surgical masks aren't effective against SARS.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

N95 respiratory mask

[MineralMan]

"Sounds like someone or some company behind the N95 respiratory masks wants to make money off of SARS.

There's no proof offered in the article that surgical masks aren't effective against SARS."

Viruses are hard to filter. Surgical masks are designed to keep the surgeons and nurses from contaminating the _patient_ with bacteria, and they do a fairly good job of that.

Keeping yourself from being infected with airborne viruses is a much tougher job. The more expensive masks do a better job by far than the surgical masks. Your skepticism is misplaced.

[Nebr FAL owner]

What government run Health Care can do for you. Or just do a web search for "Tuskeegee Syphilus Trials". It will prove to be a real eye opener.

[BartMan1]

ping for later viewing...

[aristeides]

Ping.

[discostu]

They're just getting around to figuring this one out. Surgical masks are intended to keep your germs in, not the restof the world's out. Any mask is useless if you don't follow the protocols to the letter, worst case scenario the mask collects a bunch of germs while your wearing it and you injest them when you take it off incorrectly.

[IYAAYAS]

Right. Surgical masks are for surgeons. Not meant to keep your germs away from his mouth/nose. Meant to keep his germs away from you, like if he sneezed during open-heart surgery. Would't want all the "stuff" going into an open chest cavity.

[CobaltBlue]

N95 is what health care workers use to treat people with tuberculosis - in the health care setting they have a blue water resistant coating - keeps out airborne droplets. N99 is better, and is what is used around anthrax and lead dust.

[lepton]

I'd have thought that they'd be usefull in keeping the virus from leaving when coughing or sneezing.

[blam]

"Surgical masks are intended to keep your germs in, not the restof the world's out. Any mask is useless if you don't follow the protocols to the letter, worst case scenario the mask collects a bunch of germs while your wearing it and you injest them when you take it off incorrectly."

So, me wearing my mask is just protecting everyone else, not me?

[steve86]

So, me wearing my mask is just protecting everyone else, not me?

Just true for surgical masks, not N95 or higher.

[discostu]

It protects them from whatever germs are coming out of your mouth and nose. Since those aren't the sole sources of infectious germs (last I read SARS had been found in feces) it doesn't quite protect everyone else. Then there's the mask disposal issue. Of course there's always the possibility of germs smaller than the weave (not sure just how tight surgical mask weave is), and the saturation issue (breath is moist, moisture helps germs move).

Really over the long haul a surgical mask probably isn't doing squat other than getting a lot of lint in your lungs.

[Domestic Church]

Might as well put a colander over your face to understand the difference in filtration between the two.