We all know N95 masks are the gold standard. They're used in hospitals for staff in COVID units, they're by far the most effective at filtering out viral particles, Bavaria has mandated them for people in many public places, and the remainder of Germany, Austria & France are all considering doing so. But if you're anything like me, you probably haven't been using them.

This was until the other day, when I got a message on WeChat from a firm I used to work with in China offering to sell me some N95 masks. I clicked through, and, was, like, wait, *how* much?? I had thought there was a chronic shortage of the good kind of masks (N95s). Or, maybe, N95s didn't affect outbound spread of the virus, only your odds of getting it? Or, perhaps, KN95 masks were a totally different thing from the kind that worked?

After a day spent researching, turns out basically none of this was the case. N95 masks and their equivalents (FFP2s and KN95s, among a litany of others) have been widely available for... not that much money for months, provided you're willing to import them. They do substantially better than other types of masks, particularly cloth masks, at preventing outbound spread, provided they don't have a respirator valve (these don't), and are correctly fitted (not the comfiest, but easier to figure out than the people you see walking around with surgical masks below their nose). And Per 3M, the KN95 standard is very similar to the N95 standard, and, if you can find manufacturers which have passed third party audits (as the Chinese KN95 manufacturers on the FDA whitelist have, including the place we're getting masks from), you're probably in the clear (the main issue is not the standard, but assessing compliance with it).

So I bought a bunch of KN95 masks (a bunch being, so far, a few thousand). I'm shipping them out to people (and, possibly, hand-delivering to doorsteps), 6 at a time. Even as mask prices have dropped on Amazon and the like, they're available to import for even less than that, and the napkin math says that, even after shipping many quite small orders, we can deliver those 6 masks, per-mask, for about a third less than what Amazon charges you for 50. If you want to send money for yours, that's fine too (click on 'how can I contribute' for a donation button), but for the most part I just wanted to help to the extent I could. Given in a pinch the CDC and the inventor of the N95 mask material suggest that N95 masks can be reused at least five times by simply allowing them to air-dry in a paper bag or other breathable container for a few days, 6 masks can go a long way.

First off, at least in theory, per 3M, the KN95 standard is much more similar than it is different compared to the N95 standard, and, if you can find manufacturers which have passed third party audits, you can be reasonably confident of efficacy. Our particular supplier, unlike most other Chinese KN95 suppliers, is even on the FDA EUA list (because they've also received a CE mark, meaning they're approved for use in Europe).

As for N95/KN95 masks versus other types in general, there is no doubt that N95/N95-equivalent and surgical masks are substantially more effective than cloth masks at preventing the spread of COVID. And N95 masks have been found to have substantially higher filtration efficacy, which is why they're being distributed to frontline staff in COVID units in hospitals and becoming mandatory in some jurisdictions with good supply, e.g. Bavaria. That said, there's a shortage of high-quality evidence as to the difference between N95 and surgical masks. The only significant RCT done found little difference, though it was on the flu, failed to conduct fit checks of N95 masks, and was conducted on healthcare professionals, meaning the surgical masks were for the most part used correctly. Anecdotally, I think relatively few of the surgical masks users I encounter on the street have surgical masks properly fitted and fully covering their nose and mouth at all times. In contrast, N95 compliance is easy to ascertain, the distinction between N95 masks and cloth masks is readily apparent to people (whereas folks view surgical and cloth masks as seemingly comparable), and, provided users learn to fit their masks properly, which we demonstrate in a video linked to by the masks we shipped, there is every reason to believe that the higher filtration efficacy will make a substantial difference in slowing the spread of COVID and its more contagious new strains.

We're getting our KN95 masks from Guangdong Languan Medical Biotechnology. I've confirmed that the masks have undergone third-party testing to ensure they meet the listed standards, and the masks have received a CE mark in Europe and an EUA in the States (you can find them listed here). Their continued EUA in the US is a result of the fact they have been shown eligible to meet European standards; most masks imported from China do not meet these standards and so are not eligible for EUA.

Provided all goes well, we're shipping you six. There are two reasons why: one, if you are short on high-quality masks, it's enough to allow you to rotate through masks without having to re-use a mask with potential active virus on it by simply letting used ones air-dry in a paper bag or other breathable container for four or five days. Second of all, it allows us to use a substantially cheaper shipping class. All that aside, if you're able to distribute masks to folks in your community, and mention this in the form, we'll do our best to connect you with more! Shipping you more masks and letting you take care of delivering them to friends' doorsteps/giving them away in socially distanced settings allows us to lower our per-mask shipping cost. For more information on mask reuse, here are the CDC guidelines and here's a statement from the inventor of the material used in N95 masks.

Well, I'm not rich, and I can't do this indefinitely. The numbers at the bottom of the page tell you how much further we're able to go with the money we've got. If you can afford masks for yourself, it'd be great if you'd give for masks for someone else instead. If you can't afford to give, but would like to help out regardless, it'd be lovely if you were able to hand-deliver or otherwise distribute N95 masks to folks who want them in your community (mention this when filling out the form and we'll see if we can send you enough masks to help out your community). This is substantially more cost effective. If you're able to give masks away to forty folks in your community, our per-mask inclusive of delivery is reduced to around a third of what Amazon charges per-mask for large orders, rather than the two-thirds we pay with individual shipping.

For one, we're accepting donations via PayPal below. Regardless of your means, if you're able to distribute masks in a safe manner throughout your community, you can indicate this in the form, and we'll ship you more masks and allow you to take care of delivering them to folks/giving them away to folks who need them. And if you have another idea for how you'd like to help, you can email me at cordeliabelton@sent.com.

Send me a note at cordeliabelton@sent.com.