BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • Health
      • Is There A Right Way To Wear A...
      Health

      Is There A Right Way To Wear A Surgical Mask? A FactCheck

      Viral Facebook post falsely suggests wearing the non-coloured side of the mask outside when you're not sick and want to prevent germs from getting in.

      By - Shachi Sutaria |
      Published -  3 Feb 2020 7:24 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      Is There A Right Way To Wear A Surgical Mask? A FactCheck

      A viral social media post claiming there is a 'proper way' to wear the three layered surgical mask commonly worn by medical professionals and that wearing the coloured side or the white side of the mask signal different things, is false and misleading.

      The viral graphic shows two people wearing masks with the text describing that the mask can be worn in two ways, both with the coloured portion outside as well as the white filter outside.

      The message specifies which side to use when and it reads "1. Colored side out if you're sick and do not want to spread your germs around. 2. White side out (this is the filter part) for when you're not sick and you want to stop germs from getting in"

      BOOM spoke to a doctor who stated that the message is misleading. People have been wearing masks in India as well as abroad to protect themselves from polluted air and the recent air borne novel Coronavirus.

      Also Read: Boiled Garlic Water For Treating Coronavirus? Not Really

      BOOM received this image on its WhatsApp helpline to check for its authenticity.



      The image is also quite viral on Facebook. You can find the archive of this post here.

      Fact Check

      BOOM searched for the terms "How to wear a face mask" online and came across a few videos and articles depicting the correct way to wear a face mask.

      The San Francisco Department of Public Health has detailed the appropriate methodology in which the mask should be worn. It specifies that ideally, the coloured portion of the mask is with a bendable edge and by is supposed to be worn on the outside. The filter should be near the nose. Maintaining personal hygiene and washing hands with soap and water have been repetitively mentioned on the department's website.

      A video by TIME Magazine shows medical experts talking about the right way to wear the mask. They also mention that the coloured part should be worn on the outside irrespective of the illness status of the mask wearer.

      Dr. Jonathan Fernandez, an Emergency Physician from Kerala also debunked the claims related to the mask scientifically.

      He explained the right methodology in a series of tweets.

      #thread
      Everytime there is a new epidemic different WhatsApp forwards pop up. This particular one i have seen at least 3 times in the last 4 years
      Short answer
      The information in this picture is WRONG & FALSE#FactCheck#coronavirusindia #coronarvirus #CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/P67Yms9k0n

      — Jonathan 👨‍⚕️⚕️ (@just1doctorwala) January 31, 2020

      Dr.Fernandez mentions in his tweets that these masks are not the safest ones to use and that N95 masks even though expensive work better in keeping any kind of droplets away. He also mentions that the common surgical masks are for the wearer more than the people around them. He also emphasized that there is only one particular way to wear this mask which is coloured side out.

      BOOM contacted Dr. Fernandez to understand why he suggested N95 masks instead. He stated that he went ahead and debunked the claim because his own father believed it and forwarded the claim to him on WhatsApp.

      "It is all about creating a tight seal around the face to allow only air passing through the mask to reach the wearer. N95 masks does it. Regular masks do not. Regular masks keep droplets away from face but do nothing for the microbes or minute particles... N95 works on the basis that it keeps out 95% of the particles less than 0.2 microns in size," Dr. Fernandez stated while explaining the difference between the masks.

      India stops export of masks

      India confirmed its third positive case of Coronavirus on February 3, 2020. All the three cases are from Kerala and travelled to India from Wuhan. The 2019-novel Coronavirus has claimed 362 lives and has 17,485 confirmed cases. On January 31, 2020, the Indian government banned the export of all kinds of respiratory masks.

      Also Read: Bat Infestation Video From Florida Falsely Shared As Coronavirus Source Found



      Tags

      ChinaIndiaMasksFake NewsCOVID-19
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   White sides of the surgical masks are supposed to be worn outside
      Claimed By :  Social Media
      Fact Check :  Misleading
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!