In 2009, four researchers examined how well surgical masks worked to filter small particles, those of 1 micron (1000 nanometers) or less. Their conclusion: badly.
This is true! Surgical masks are not good for this they are not designed for this... but there are other good alternatives that are cheap, easy and fairly effective. Such as a tight cotton bandana. Cotton is good because of the 3D nature of the strands. Most synthetics are flat in nature, this having less surface area to catch particles. We have known this and it is easy information to find so you can make better decisions. I didn’t do any research before reading this. This is all info that came to me via news outlets (I did my own research but not for this book specifically, for my own education) there are ways to do it and people who wear masks actually share this info. This sounds like a justification to do what you want without thinking of others
