Do N95 masks help against air pollution?

The U.S. government rates the N95 face mask for people who might work around pollutants. So, air quality experts like Peltier know exactly what it can do and what it cannot do. Peltier calls the N95 mask a more advanced version of the inexpensive cloth masks that he studied. read more

This is the best evidence so far that a good mask can help decrease exposure and actually help protect your health. Hopefully, better long term studies will be more convincing. But I certainly think the evidence is sound, and it's more than logical to use a proper N95 mask anytime the air is bad. read more

With all this pollution in the air, many people try to protect themselves and reduce their exposure. So, some people use face masks. You may have seen pictures of people wearing such masks in big cities like Beijing and Tokyo. read more

If the air inside the mask is more than 95% reduced in particles, that mask passes the N95 test. Quite a few masks have this certification, and it’s for this exact reason that I am sure that these same masks can dramatically decrease all of our exposure to air pollution’s most dangerous particles, those PM0.3-PM2.5. read more